WASHINGTON (AP) -- The season's first major snow storm to blast large parts of the South struck early Tuesday at the nation's capital, poised to head up the winter-weary East Coast.
After weeks of snow in the Northeast, the mid-February storm raked several Southern states Monday, when many schools and business were closed for Presidents Day. By Tuesday morning, it was moving into the Mid-Atlantic states, prompting the federal government to close Washington-area offices to most workers.
The federal government's closure, the first of the winter, was expected to keep tens of thousands of commuters off the roads and rails Tuesday morning and afternoon. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management said nonemergency personnel in the Washington area had excused absences while emergency employees and telework-ready employees were to follow their agencies' policies.