This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8501246.stm

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Eastern US braced for heavy snow Snowstorm paralyses US east coast
(about 9 hours later)
Government offices, courts and schools have closed early in Washington DC to allow workers to get home ahead of a major snowstorm. An "extremely dangerous" storm has dumped large amounts of snow in the eastern US, shutting down the capital.
Forecasters have predicted up to 2ft (60cm) of snow, which would make it the snowiest winter in the capital for a century. About 10in (25cm) of snow had fallen by 0100 (0600 GMT) in Washington, with forecasters predicting the heaviest snowfall to hit the area in 90 years.
Shops in the US capital and surrounding areas are said to be running low on staple supplies as residents stock up. Museums closed, transport was widely disrupted, and residents were told to prepare for up to five days indoors.
Blizzard warnings are in effect in much of Delaware and New Jersey. A rare 24-hour blizzard warning is in effect for the Washington-Baltimore area until 2200 (0300 GMT Sunday).
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency two days ago to allow extra preparation time for emergency and road crews. The storm - dubbed "snowpocalypse" and "snowmageddon" by the local media - is expected to stretch from Indiana to Pennsylvania and into parts of New York and North Carolina.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, 94% of the state's snow removal budget has already been spent, after a major blizzard hit the area in December. It comes less than two months after a December storm dumped more than 16in (41cm) of snow in Washington.
Travel chaos
The National Weather Service has said the storm could be "extremely dangerous."
WASHINGTON SNOWSTORMS More than 1ft (12in, 30.5cm) of snow only 13 times since 1870Heaviest on record is 28in (71cm) in January 1922Worst snowfall is believed to have hit in 1772, before records began, with as much as 3ft In pictures: Washington snowfall
It forecast up to 30in (76cm) of snow in the capital, which would shatter Washington's record snowfall of 28in in 1922.
All flights were cancelled at Washington's Reagan National airport, and only some international flights were operating at Dulles International.
Late on Friday, the capital was left without a bus service after roads were deemed "impassable" and the metro stopped all but its underground service.
Residents were urged to keep off the roads, and to be prepared to stay inside for up to five days.
One Washington resident described the scene at her local supermarket.
"I got there at 0700 [on Friday] and there were really long queues, Jane Bate, 41, told the AFP news agency. "The place looked like it had been ransacked."
The governors of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware have declared states of emergency, a move that puts the National Guard on alert.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, 94% of the state's snow removal budget had already been spent during the December blizzard.
Officials said they would have to use emergency funds to pay for snow removal after this latest storm.Officials said they would have to use emergency funds to pay for snow removal after this latest storm.
In neighbouring Maryland, nine counties declared snow emergencies, barring cars without snow tyres from driving until the alert is lifted.
Newspapers and TV shows handed out tips on how to deal with the storm, which they have dubbed "snowpocalypse". Are you in the Washington area? How are you preparing for the snow storm? Send us your comments using the form below.
Residents were urged to stay off roads, and to prepare for possible power cuts. Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can class="inlineText" href="http://bbcnewsupload.streamuk.com/" >upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions