Washington. Blizzard paralyzed the city

A blizzard that lasted several hours caused up to 25 cm of snow in some places. It came after weeks of spring temperatures and, although it had been expected the day before, caused major disruptions in Washington and its suburbs.

Snow and ice have caused the biggest problem in air transportation. At Ronald Reagan Airport in Arlington, near Washington, 84 percent of work has been canceled for this reason. flights, and at Baltimore-Washington International Airport – 45 percent. In total, 2.8 thousand canceled across the country. links.

President Joe Biden, who was returning to Washington on Monday after vacationing at his family home in Wilmington, about 150 kilometers from Washington, has not experienced these problems. Because of the snow-covered bib at Andrews Biden Base, he had to wait half an hour for the plane to get off.

His helicopter, Marine One, was also parked at the base, so he had to get from the airport in a column of vehicles, which took about an hour.

Federal offices and schools across the region were also closed due to the snowfall. The conference of the White House spokeswoman and State Department spokesperson was also cancelled.

The rain caused many trees and power lines to collapse. As reported in the Washington Post, the blackout affected nearly half a million people, mostly in suburban Washington, Virginia.

Monday’s storm was the first snow this winter. Last December in Washington was the second warmest in the history of measurements, and on Sunday the temperature reached 17 degrees.