Icy winter weather along East Coast

Footprints in the snow lead to the Capitol building. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

Dec. 10, 2013 8:57 AM PT

Residents along the East Coast and in the Appalachians woke up to snow Tuesday, leading to widespread closures of schools and government offices and a near-disappearance of the traffic that usually strangles the Washington region.

Capitol Police officers stand watch as snow and freezing rain fall. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

A person walks on a deserted sidewalk on a snowy morning. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

A woman walks on Independence Mall during a snowstorm. (Matt Rourke / Associated Press)

Train tracks outside of Penn Station are covered in snow. (Karly Domb Sadof / Associated Press)

Michael Palmisano pulls his 2-year-old son, Blake, in a wagon as a light snow falls. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

A man carries a child along a sidewalk during a snowstorm. (Matt Rourke / Associated Press)

A woman walks past Independence Hall during a snowstorm. (Matt Rourke / Associated Press)

Children and parents make their way to school on a snowy morning. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)