(Newser) – The flakes have stopped falling, but residents in the Mid-Atlantic region were faced today with the prospect of digging out of more than two feet of snow in some areas. Roads reopened but officials continued to warn residents that highways could be treacherous. Hundreds of thousands of people from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Virginia were without power, left in the cold, and possibly without a way to watch the Super Bowl.
Most tried to make the best of the situation. "The best part is throwing snowballs at my dad," said 10-year-old Jayla Burgess in Arlington, Va. Hundreds crowded Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, for a snowball fight organized online. Skiers lapped the Reflecting Pool along the National Mall and others used the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a slope. Washington took on a surreal, almost magical feel even though it was one of the worst blizzards in the city's history. "Right now it's like the Epcot Center version of Washington," said Mary Lord, 56, a resident for some 30 years who had skied around the city.
(NEWSER) - Heavy snowfall in Colorado has shut down sections of I-70 and I-25 amid a number of accidents, as snow piled up at two inches per hour on the Eastern Plains. An area near Denver has already seen a foot and a half of snow, and another foot is likely in some regions, experts tell the AP . Northeastern Colorado is facing a blizzard warning through tomorrow, with possible 30mph winds likely halting travel. More»
(NEWSER) - Eastern Europe's week-long cold snap shows no sign of relenting, with increasingly tragic consequences: The death toll has risen to 114, and some 11,000 Serbians living in remote villages are trapped, reports the AP . Heavy snow and blizzards have made the roads impassable, stranding those living in some 6,500 homes tucked into in country's mountains—and more snow is expected. "The situation is dramatic, the snow is up to five meters (16.5 feet) high in some areas, you can only see rooftops," said one Serbian. Things are equally extreme elsewhere: More»
(NEWSER) - Days after a new "Snowmaggedon" slammed the Pacific Northwest, an ice storm and floods have left two dead in the region. Seattle's snow began Tuesday night; the city measured a daily snowfall of 6.8 inches early yesterday, blowing away the previous record of 2.9 inches in 1954. Washington's governor declared a state of emergency as airports and schools closed and at least 300,000 households suffered blackouts. A six-truck crash cut off a key highway through the Cascades, Reuters reports. More»
(NEWSER) - A major snowstorm is expected to hit Seattle tonight, dumping as much as a foot by tomorrow evening. And it looks like things will get worse: Weather.com is predicting up to 18 inches in parts of the Seattle area within 48 hours; MSNBC notes that is three times the city's average annual snowfall of 5.9 inches. Other sections of Washington could see even more—and as much as 3.5 feet could hit the Cascades. In Portland, where the average annual snowfall is 2.4 inches, up to 8 inches of snow are expected. More»
(NEWSER) - A 10-foot snowfall in the Austrian alps has left tens of thousands of visitors stranded, reports the Telegraph . Fears of avalanche have prompted the closure of dozens of roads and left popular resort villages isolated. "This is a type of snowfall the like of which we have not seen for years," says an avalanche warning spokesman. "Combined with that, there are very high winds, which are making conditions especially dangerous," More»
