Washington is knocked out cold by record snow

Reporting from Silver Spring, Md., and Rockville, Md. -- The second fierce winter storm in less than a week walloped Washington and the mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, closing the federal government, airports and thousands of schools while bringing a mix of awe and dread to millions of snowbound families.

Blizzard warnings were posted from Virginia to New York as heavy snow and gale-force winds toppled trees, brought down power lines and created white-out conditions that turned many roads treacherous to impassible.

The storm began with sleet and freezing rain on Tuesday and was expected to add a foot or so more snow on top of the two to three feet that paralyzed the nation’s capital last weekend. That monster storm -- referred to locally as Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse and Snowzilla -- already was one of the heaviest on record.

Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, disrupting air travel and cargo services across the country. All three major airports in the Washington area were closed until crews could clear the snow-clogged runways and visibility improved.

“The problem is everything,” said Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. “The problem is this is day six.”

Driving was so dangerous early Wednesday that Pepco, the area’s electric utility, ordered its crews to stop repairing scores of downed power lines and crippled equipment that left thousands of homes dark and cold. Some neighborhoods have not had power since last Friday.

“Restoration will resume as soon as the storm abates,” the utility said on its website. It predicted additional outages as more lines come down.

Snowplows and salt trucks that have worked nearly nonstop for days struggled to keep up as wind-whipped snow covered major streets as quickly as they were cleared. But as conditions grew more hazardous, officials ordered the plows to halt work in Washington and neighboring Montgomery County in Maryland at about 9:30 a.m.

State and local officials pleaded with drivers to stay indoors except for emergencies. Stranded drivers were warned to stay in their vehicles and call 911 rather than risk battling the storm outside. No one could predict when roads will be cleared.

“This is going to be measured in days, not hours,” warned Charlie Gischler, spokesman for Maryland’s State Highway Administration.

“No sooner do we get one storm under control, the next one rolls in,” agreed Jeff Caldwell, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation. He said Virginia has brought in out-of-state crews to supplement the 3,000 workers who help with snow removal.

Some snowbound neighborhoods were still waiting for plows to dig them out when the latest storm hit, trapping people in their homes or at hotels for the foreseeable future. Maryland’s governor, Martin O’Malley, pleaded for patience.

“There is no city or county government that is geared up to move all of this snow,” he said earlier this week.

Amtrak canceled dozens of trains along the eastern seaboard and west to Chicago. Washington’s Metro subway lines stopped service to above-ground stations, and Metrobuses stayed parked.

The federal government stayed closed for the third straight day, the longest weather-related closure since 1996, and the House and Senate both canceled scheduled hearings and votes.

Postal service was suspended in the Washington area, and weary educators in surrounding counties surrendered to the inevitable and canceled school and sporting events for the week.

The huge storm last weekend -- the third since December -- brought Washington’s total snowfall this season to about 45 inches; that’s more than the last four winters combined. In recent days, cross-country skiers traced graceful paths down snowbound urban streets and park trails, enjoying sunny skies and muffled silence. Children built snow forts, sledded down hills and happily pummeled passers-by with snowballs.

But Wednesday brought a brutal reminder of winter’s wrath. Boughs from stately magnolias and huge shade trees lay shredded on the ground in Lafayette Park, just outside the White House.

In Derwood, Md., Ken Cohen was the only worker to show up at the Redland Liberty gas station. His only customers were privately owned plow trucks.

“Conditions are terrible,” he admitted as fresh snow mounted by the pumps.

Jeff Solsby, a Southern California native who lives in Alexandria, Va., said he, his wife and their two toddlers had enjoyed sledding in recent days, but that cabin fever was starting to set in.

“I think people are stir-crazy and need to get out of the house,” he said. Solsby, who works for a construction industry association, added that he also faces a deadline on a project for partners in the Midwest.

“I can’t ask for weather sympathy from people based in Chicago,” he said. As it happens, the storm roared in from the Midwest and dropped a foot of snow on Chicago.

Chris Tucker, a Washington energy consultant, braved the storm and bucked the odds to drive to work in downtown Washington from Glover Park, a neighborhood on the city’s western edge. He was fine until he hit an icy road in Georgetown.

“Even with four-wheel-drive, I couldn’t help but toboggan down the entire thing,” he said. His usual 20-minute drive took almost twice as long, but he arrived at his office intact “owing in large part to the fact that I was the only car on the road.”

Conditions only deteriorated after he got to work. “Think I just saw a cow fly by my ninth-floor window on K Street,” he joked.

Still, students at two area universities refused to bow to nature’s fury. George Washington University and Georgetown University planned an official snowball fight at 2 p.m., and spent the morning cheerfully trading insults via Facebook.

A GWU student who is grammatically challenged offered these guidelines: “1) If I hit some GU senator’s kid really hard, they can’t sue. 2.) Please, please, please be aware that limo’s probably can’t make it through the snow, so GU kids, head over early.”

bob.drogin@latimes.com

richard.simon@latimes.com