US Government Closed for Third Day as Country Remains Snowed

The US government was closed for the third day in a row Tuesday as residents of Washington faced mountains of snow clogging streets and the region's schools remained shuttered, dpa reported.

Train service on the subway system in suburban Virginia remained closed due to storm damage and snow removal on above-ground tracks and busses were running only on major roads.

Government offices had closed at noon Friday and remained shut Monday as the storm dumped record amounts of snow along the US East Coast. The storm reportedly left 33 people dead, primarily in traffic accidents, but also due to health complications brought on by shovelling.

Backhoes were at work clearing streets and parking lots with towering piles at intersections obstructing drivers' views and making it difficult for pedestrians to navigate sidewalks. Some neighbourhoods remained cut off from major thoroughfares.

New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington were among the worst hit by the weekend onslaught of snow and blizzard conditions.

The states of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York also received heavy snow over a 36-hour period, the National Weather Service said.

Snowzilla, as the storm was nicknamed, saw a few locations come close to or break all-time one-day and two-day snow records, the service said. Accumulations of 60 to 90 centimetres were common, and a few isolated areas in West Virginia and Maryland measured nearly one metre of snow.

In New York, most streets and sidewalks had been cleared, but some areas of the borough of Queens still remained snowed in.
One group of enterprising New Yorkers constructed an igloo in their yard and offered it for rent on the Airbnb website for 200 dollars per night. The "boutique igloo for 2" however was removed by site administrators before any guests could experience the "alternative lifestyle" in shelter.