The Federal government has shut down for the fourth time this Winter as Washington D.C. is carpeted with more snow and temperatures descending into single digits. Monday’s 3.8 inches recorded at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport put the winter season’s total snowfall at 23.1 inches, or nearly 9 inches above average levels, according to the National Weather Service.
Some parts of Washington, which often dodge some of the biggest snow totals from Mid-Atlantic storms, registered a robust 7.2 inches, the Capital Weather Gang reported. This made it the third-biggest snowstorm so late in the season and the 10th-greatest March snowstorm on record for the nation’s capital. The blanket of snow coming just three days before the official arrival of Spring draped the District, forcing class cancellations at school systems already jockeying to make up for snow days.
“This has been quite a winter when it comes to snow,” said D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray. “March can be an unpredictable month. We didn’t expect this,” he added. “We’ll do what’s necessary to do an effective job with the snow.” Delaware reported snow up to eight inches and New Jersey saw as much as six inches fall in some areas. Widespread travel interruptions with thousands of flights canceled have been reported. The majority of the cancellations and delays were at airports in the D.C. area, New York, and Philadelphia.