Second Major Snowstorm in a Week Hits East Coast

NEW YORK (Feb. 10) -- The second major storm in a week slammed into the East Coast today as heavy snow and strong winds created blizzard conditions and prompted blizzard warnings from West Virginia to New York, giving millions of school children a day off but also canceling hundreds of airline flights and snarling the morning commute with dangerous conditions.

The nor'easter began blanketing the Washington area overnight and strengthened as it continued to move northward through Baltimore, southeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, where 10 to 17 inches could fall by evening. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings across the region, warning that wind gusts exceeding 45 mph could prompt dangerous whiteout conditions later in the day and snow drifts of up to 4 feet.

"Though the amount of snowfall may not be as extreme as storms past, the wind is making this storm dangerous," said Paul Yeager, a meteorologist and contributor to AOL News.

Yeager said the blizzard conditions -- a quarter-mile visibility, 35 mph winds and blowing or falling snow -- will make for a "tough rush hour" in New York, which will get the brunt of the storm early this evening. By midday, New York City had received 4 to 6 inches of snow, and it was snowing in Hartford, Conn., and Boston.

The Baltimore/Washington area had blizzard conditions, making driving potentially deadly. "We encourage people to stay home. Don't go on the roads," said meteorologist Bryan Jackson of the National Weather Service forecasting office for Baltimore and Washington. "It is life-threatening out there."

The storm blew in from the Midwest, where it was blamed for three traffic deaths in Michigan. Today's storm comes mere days after a storm dubbed "snowpocalypse" or "snowmageddon" buried parts of the Mid-Atlantic region under several feet of snow from Friday to Saturday.

"The real problem is the cumulative impacts," National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Watling told AOL News. "When you have two large storms back to back, the impacts are going to be much worse."

The nation's capital became a ghost town for the second time in a week, after picking up 2 feet of snow in some areas in the last storm.

With lawmakers stranded in their home districts, both chambers of Congress canceled scheduled votes. The federal government closed for the third day, its longest shutdown in more than a decade. Schools were shuttered across the region, with many districts abandoning the week altogether. Thousands of flights were canceled, and mass transit virtually stopped running once again. And after returning to its rounds for a single day Tuesday, the Postal Service halted deliveries again today.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, was trying to maintain his schedule, which includes a meeting with black leaders to discuss the economy and jobs. About 5 inches had fallen on the Capitol this morning, according to the National Weather Service, and wind gusts topped 45 mph, making driving conditions treacherous.

Visibility on the near-empty streets could be measured in blocks rather than miles. Many side streets that had not been plowed since the weekend were likely to be impassable for days yet to come. With garbage removal suspended, overflowing trash cans resembled snow cones.

Officials in Washington and Montgomery County, Md., ordered snow plows and utility crews off the increasingly hazardous roads. The governor of Pennsylvania closed large stretches of three major highways because of snowy roadways. And some parts of Maryland received a foot of new snow today, with the town of Lineboro reporting 16 inches.

"It's terrible," Nina Wooten, cashier at Chesapeake Exxon in Annapolis, Md., told AOL News. "I hate snow, and it's still coming down like crazy and it's not supposed to stop until 7 o'clock tonight."

The roof of a Smithsonian storage warehouse partially collapsed, and officials said they expected more roof collapses across the region, as another heavy layer of snow piled up on buildings that have been holding up more than a foot of snow for days.

Airlines canceled hundreds of flights at airports on the Eastern seaboard, and New York City shut down its school system, the largest in the nation, for the third time since 2004.

On Manhattan's Upper West Side, snow-blanketed sidewalks remained untouched by footprints all morning, as kids -- and parents -- enjoyed a rare snow day.

By 11 a.m, building doormen emerged to shovel snow, and well-bundled kids toted sleds to the parks. Bus stops stayed empty, and even passing taxis were unoccupied -- a sure sign that most people are opting to hunker down inside rather than brave the roads to get to work. On one street corner, a girl in a pink snowsuit dragged at her mother -- slipping along in 4-inch, knee-high boots -- as they walked to Central Park, which had near-blizzard conditions.

"I'm a New Yorker," Tanya Douglas, the mother, explained to a passer-by. "We really don't have shoes for this."

In Brooklyn, Mark Libertini, an owner of Little Cupcake Bakeshop, said some regular customers had come in despite the wet, slippery snow.

"If there's a birthday or a celebration, a little bit of snow isn't going to keep New Yorkers from getting their cupcakes," he said.

Snow was expected to keep falling on the Big Apple through about 10 p.m., finally tapering off by dawn Thursday. The storm was expected to move out to sea Thursday, Watling said.

In South Philadelphia, Van Tran, general manager of the South Street Diner, was bracing for the second storm after Philly picked up 28 inches of snow in the last storm.

"This one on top of it might be worse," Tran said. "That's Mother Nature. There's nothing we can do. Hopefully the next few days it will be nice and the snow will melt and next we will have clean roads."

The back-to-back storms were taking a toll on some snow-weary people and businesses.

"We're a 24-hour station," said Wooten, who's worked at the Annapolis gas station for 30 years. "We've closed up shop more this year than we ever have in past years" because the station couldn't get restocked with gas.

"I just don't like the snow. Period," she said.

Meteorologist Watling said that aside from safety precautions, there isn't much more people can do, except let it snow.

"Stay inside, drink a hot chocolate or a coffee and when the storm is over, dig yourself out slowly," he said.

Russell Berman contributed to this report from Washington and Katie Drummond contributed from New York.