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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, February 17, 2003

Snowstorm Slams Mid-Atlantic of US

The worst storm of the season blew heavy snow along the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic states of the U.S. Sunday, shutting down two major airports and canceling church services. More than 3 feet of snow was possible in the mountains and other areas had floods and mudslides.


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The worst storm of the season blew heavy snow along the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic states of the U.S. Sunday, shutting down two major airports and canceling church services. More than 3 feet of snow was possible in the mountains and other areas had floods and mudslides.

At least five deaths had been blamed on the weather since snow burst across the Plains on Friday and Saturday.

The snow was part of a huge storm system that also produced thunderstorms in the South, including an early morning tornado that damaged a house in northern Florida.

In Tennessee, where more than 7 inches of rain fell earlier, a mudslide early Sunday destroyed an apartment building outside Knoxville, chasing out several dozen tenants. One man was hospitalized in serious condition, the Knox County sheriff's office said.

West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise declared a state of emergency as his state had 20 inches of snow in the north, floods that blocked roads in the south and ice elsewhere. Some 41,000 customers were without power. Williamson closed its flood wall as the Tug Fork River rose toward a crest of up to 3 feet above flood stage.

Snow fell Sunday from Missouri to New Jersey, and flakes fell at a rate of up to 4 inches an hour in parts of Maryland. Forecasts ranged from a foot of snow by late Monday in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to 20 inches in New Jersey and 2 feet in Maryland and northern Virginia.

The National Weather Service forecast up to 3 feet of snow in West Virginia's most mountainous counties.

The Washington area's Baltimore-Washington International and Reagan National airports closed until further notice. Dulles International Airport had just one runway open during the afternoon. About three-quarters of flights at Philadelphia International Airport were canceled, spokesman Mark Pesce said.

Amtrak suspended service between Washington and Richmond, Va., said spokesman Dan Stessel.

Monuments and museums in Washington were closed, and President Bush's usual helicopter ride to the White House from Camp David was replaced by a 2.50-hour drive on snow-covered roads.

More than a foot of snow was possible in New York City, which readied 1,300 plows and 148,000 tons of salt, said Kathy Dawkins, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Sanitation.

Source: Agencies






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