DC area, northeast seeing another round of snow

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP) -- Residents along the East Coast and in the Appalachians woke up to snow Tuesday and government workers and students in the DC area were told to stay home as the region saw a round of snow that came just a few days after some parts already got several inches.

Snow and ice prompted officials at the Philadelphia International Airport to temporarily ground departing flights and slowed motorists across New Jersey.

In Washington, the snow began falling in time for the morning commute, creating the potential for traffic problems. Non-emergency federal employees in the area were granted an excused absence Tuesday but other employees were told to telecommute, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's website.

Public schools were closed in a number of areas including Washington, Philadelphia and parts of West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

In Ohio, overnight snowfall in central and southwest parts of the state was making the morning commute Tuesday slow and messy and delayed the opening of hundreds of schools.

Outside Washington, in Virginia's Fairfax County, traffic was light Tuesday morning with schools and government offices closed. With temperatures hovering around freezing, highways that had been plowed and treated were passable, but conditions began to deteriorate after 8 a.m. as the pace of the snowfall increased.

The usually bustling Springfield Metro station was nearly deserted. Those who did have to work said the lack of traffic made the slushy roads easier to navigate.

"I wish it was like this all the time - minus the snow," said Maelin Traylor, 28, of Springfield. "The traffic was wonderful."

Jean Walsh, 72, of Springfield, said she was accustomed to much worse weather growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., and never considered skipping work.

"To me, this is nothing. It's melting when it's hitting. I don't think they should have closed the government," Walsh said. "It's no big deal and I've got work to do."

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Eastern Seaboard, including Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches were expected. The new snow comes on the heels of Sunday's winter weather, which dumped several inches of snow on Philadelphia and northern Maryland.

Elsewhere, eastern and central Kentucky and southwest Virginia were expected to get 1 to 3 inches of snow. All of West Virginia was likely to see snow Tuesday, with 2 to 4 inches forecast for north and central parts of the state and 3 to 5 in the mountains.

While the federal government was closed, some Washington workers still had to pop up umbrellas and bundle up to head to work in the snow. Streets were clear, and the snow was nearly all melting once it hit the ground.

Harris Sidiq, an accountant, was walking to work Tuesday morning.

"I worked for another accounting firm, and it took a lot for us to actually have a shutdown due to inclement weather," he said. "I guess it's just the industry. That's how it is. You work, work, work until the world stops. Then you might be able to stay home."