No ‘Snowmaggedon,’ but storm shuts down Washington offices, schools

A snowstorm that closed government offices and schools in Washington on Tuesday dropped a total of 4.7 inches on the city since Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

“For a lot of the D.C. region, this was the highest accumulating snowfall of the season so far,” said Andrew Snyder, a meteorologist with the agency’s Baltimore and Washington, office. “But in historical context, it’s just kind of a middle-of-the-road, average type of snowstorm.”

The snow let up about 7 a.m. Tuesday, and three hours later, the sun was shining. But more snow is on the way. Snyder said snow showers or snow squalls in the area Wednesday could produce up to an inch of snow.

A snow emergency designation prohibiting parking on certain essential roads went into effect at 7 a.m. Tuesday and ended at 2 p.m., which allowed snowplows to clear the streets, said Linda Grant, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works. A total of 285 snowplows have cleared residential and commercial streets since Monday afternoon, and the sun also helped to melt leftover powder, she said.

The light snow also meant that power lines and trees were not downed during the storm, Grant said.

D.C. resident Randy Shore said the recent snowfall did not compare to the “Snowmageddon” storm of 2012.

“It was definitely less than other storms I’ve been in,” said Shore, 25. “The thing about this storm was that it was so cold.”

He said he went out into the snowstorm Monday to go to a nearby restaurant with his girlfriend. He decided to walk the milelong distance since Ubers and cabs had higher than normal pricing. There was nobody out on the street.

“D.C. was quiet for a minute, and peaceful,” he said. “We went to dinner, and there were six people in the restaurant.”

Parts of New England were not so lucky. Moderate to heavy snow was expected in eastern Massachusetts on Tuesday, and the National Weather Service cautioned motorists to drive with “extra caution” Tuesday evening.

In southern Maine and New Hampshire, a winter storm watch is in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon.

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