WASHINGTON — A blizzard-like storm rocked the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Saturday, crippling travel across the region and leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power.
Five deaths appeared to have been caused by the storm system, which stretched from the Carolinas north to New England and also spread into some Midwestern states. The 16 inches of snow that fell at Reagan National Airport outside Washington was the most ever recorded for a single December day, while 16 inches also had fallen in Philadelphia.
The National Guard used Humvees to rescue stranded motorists in Virginia, and about 500 people had sought warmth and refuge in emergency shelters.
“The snow has not stopped falling, the storm isn’t over, and folks should not think this is crying wolf,” said Laura Southard, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
More than 2 feet of snow fell in some areas since Friday, and the nation’s capital was under a blizzard warning. Public transportation nearly ground to a halt, but it wasn’t enough to keep senators from staying in session to debate health care reform.
The slow-moving storm was headed to the Northeast, where forecasters said parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts could see more than 16 inches by tonight. Forecasters expected the storm to drop up to 10 inches on New York City.
The region was virtually a sea of white. The Smithsonian Institution closed its museums, and the National Mall, which normally would be swarming with tourists, instead was the scene of snowball fights and cross-country skiers.
In western Virginia, officials said several hundred motorists became stranded and had to be rescued by four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said traffic was moving, though slowly. There were reports of jackknifed tractor-trailers and some semis on their sides. Troopers had responded to more than 4,000 traffic crashes and disabled vehicles.
Most of the flights at Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport had been canceled, creating a ripple effect of delays across the country.
