Late Winter Storm Freezes US Capital

A late winter storm has brought snow and icy conditions to parts of the Mid-Atlantic just days before the start of spring.

Federal offices in Washington were closed for the day as snow fell in the US capital.

Parts of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey were also hit by the latest wintry blast.

Crews worked overnight to clear the mess ahead of the Monday commute, but transportation officials warned that roads were still dangerous.

Mike Miller, of Virginia, spun out twice on a local highway, but remained in good spirits.

He said: "My thing is, it's still technically winter until the 20th," referring to the first day of spring.

"There are places where it snows year round. Just deal with it."

Heavy snow closed runways at Reagan National Airport, while Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington airports saw several cancellations and delays in and out of the US capital.

Stephen Moore, who works for the State Department, took his cross-country skis to the National Mall, where he was hoping there would be enough snow to put them to use.

He said: "I'm assuming this is the last snow of the year."

In New Jersey, the heaviest snow was reported in the southern part of the state, where many schools were closed or delayed opening.

While some were in good spirits about the weather, patience was wearing thin for many others.

"Never thought of March as being spring. But snow, yeah, I'm over snow," said Jackie Denham, who was at a grocery store in Alexandria, Virginia.

Rain and thunderstorms also were forecast in the Southeast, some of which could be strong.

Winter's return followed several days of spring-like temperatures in many regions.

Ricardo Contreras, an upholsterer from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said he was tired of the winter and had no plans to shovel whatever might fall overnight.

He said: "I'll just let it melt by itself."

The latest wintry blast comes on the back of a harsh winter that affected tens of millions of people across the nation,with ice, snow and sleet brought about by a Polar Vortex.

Temperatures across many parts of the region hit on Monday are expected to be in tune with spring by Thursday. But forecasters cannot say when the winter weather will finally end.