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Snowstorm shuts down Washington — Analysis

The president will have to drive as snow accumulations reach 10 inches.

Washington, DC was hit by a snowstorm Monday, which grounded planes in the capital and New York City. This forced President Joe Biden, who had spent the weekend at his Delaware home, to choose to drive to New York City rather than fly back to Washington.

The storm caused delays or cancellations to more than half of the flights that were scheduled from Ronald Reagan National Airport, Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

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Biden’s helicopter was among the grounded craft, forcing him to be driven back to DC from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The day’s White House press briefing was canceled, though other events were reportedly still on even as the US Office of Personnel Management announced federal offices in the area would be closed for the day.

Further up the coast, New York City’s three major airports saw a quarter of their flights delayed or canceled as well. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts of up to 35 miles an hour were predicted and they warned that traffic jams would be likely due these dangerous conditions.

Already, the storm has knocked out power to more than 500,000 people across the US southeastern region, including northern Alabama and Tennessee as well as Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia. Although the winter storm warning remains in place until 4:00 PM local time, weather officials warn that melting snow may freeze overnight, creating more dangerous driving conditions. Since the storm started, there have been numerous crashes.

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