Winter storm system moving up East Coast for year's first workday

A winter storm packing heavy snow rolled into the District of Columbia, northern Virginia and central Maryland early Monday, bringing up to 10 inches of snow to the area through the afternoon. The system is expected to continue up the East Coast.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the area until 4 p.m. EST Monday. Wind gusts of up to 35 mph were forecast, and travel was expected to be very difficult because of the hazardous conditions, the weather service said.

"The timing of this isn't great," said National Weather Service meteorologist David Roth. "For the D.C. area, it's morning rush hour. At least for places to the Northeast, it'll be closer to midday."

As of 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported over 14 inches of snow had fallen in parts of Virginia and 13 inches in Maryland. More than 8 inches of snow fell in Washington, D.C. While most snowfall has ceased, traveling remains hazardous as dropping temperatures will turn pavements, roads and half melted snowbanks into ice overnight. 

That poor weather added to delays for air travelers after the holiday weekend, when thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed due to the one-two punch of bad weather and the COVID-19 surge. 

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced that federal offices in the D.C. area would be closed on Monday. Emergency employees and telework employees would continue to work, the OPM said on its website.

CBS Washington affiliate WUSA-TV's Katie Kyros tweeted just before 5 a.m. that snow was "accumulating fast":

CBS Radio Washington affiliate WTOP News said the storm could bring the most snow the region has seen in three years. The station also said Maryland and Virginia closed COVID testing and vaccination sites Monday due to the weather.

Several school districts in the region said they would be closed, delayed or have virtual learning Monday. D.C. Public Schools said students and staff wouldn't be returning to school until Thursday.

Hundreds of school districts in the Mid-Atlantic region canceled or delayed classes for Monday.

And some 177,000 homes and businesses in Georgia were without power, according to PowerOutsge.us, along with approximately 103,000 in North Carolina, 96,000 in South Carolina and 40,000 in Tennessee. 

Snow began falling Sunday night in parts of Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. A winter storm warning was also in effect in parts of northern Alabama and southern Tennessee, and portions of Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Impacts from the winter storm were expected across the South, Appalachian states and into the mid-Atlantic, the weather service said.