Mid-Atlantic shuts down ahead of huge snow warning

WASHINGTON — Shoppers jammed aisles and emptied stores of milk, bread and shovels Friday as a massive snowstorm blew into the Mid-Atlantic. Forecasters predicted a record 30 inches or more for the nation's capital, and authorities already were blaming the storm for the deaths of father-son Samaritans in Virginia.

The region's second snow storm in less than two months could be "extremely dangerous," and heavy, wet snow and strong winds threatened to knock out power, the National Weather Service said.

Flakes started falling around noon in Washington, where the federal government sent workers home early. The storm's wide swath and predictions of historic proportions for an area ill-equipped for snow had airlines canceling flights and school districts closing hours before any snow arrived.

The last time D.C. got at least 28 inches of snow was in 1922. The city has seen more than a foot only 13 times since 1870, according to the National Weather Service. The storm was expected to track through Virginia and West Virginia, across Maryland into southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

At a Trader Joe's in Falls Church, Va., Errol Bailey, a 55-year-old tailor who works in northern Virginia, said he'd already stocked up on food at his home in Largo, Md., but realized he should have provisions at work too.

"I've got some cashews, some orange juice, some bread, cheese and I'm about to pick up a bottle of wine here now," said Bailey. "I hope I'll be enjoying the wine at home, but if it gets real bad maybe I'll have to pop that open at work."

Many residents scrambling for food and supplies found they were too late.

In Alexandria, Va., James Ivery, 60, and his wife had already bought supplies but were back at a Harris Teeter supermarket to get out of the house one last time before the storm. Many shelves and bins were emptied of milk, vegetables, eggs and cold cuts.

"It just seems like people are panicking. I don't think it's going to be too bad," Ivery said. "As long as I got power and satellite service, I'll be fine."

Metro, the Washington-area rail system, said ridership Friday morning was down about one-fourth from the same day last week, a sign people were heeding official warnings to stay home. Metro warned it would likely have to close all but the underground portions of the system during the storm.