Washington shuts govt. as NY emerges from massive blizzard

PanARMENIAN.Net - New York City emerged on Sunday, Jan 24, from a massive blizzard that paralyzed much of the U.S. East Coast, while snowy gridlock gripped the nation's capital and surrounding areas, where federal, state and local offices and schools planned to remain closed on Monday.

Midtown Manhattan sprang back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and cavorting in massive drifts left by New York City's second-biggest snowstorm in history.

In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday. The Office of Personnel Management said federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, along with state and local government offices and schools.

Even so, many people were out in the street. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on.

The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after what was unofficially known as Winter Storm Jonas left at least 20 dead in several states, Reuters says.

Theater shows reopened on Broadway after the blizzard forced them to go dark on Saturday on the recommendation of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 68 cm of snow in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just shy of the record 68.3 cm set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.

A spokeswoman for the New York Stock Exchange said the market planned to open as usual on Monday. City schools also were set to open.

The National Weather Service said 57 cm fell in Washington at the National Zoo, and Baltimore-Washington International Airport notched a record 74.2 cm. The deepest regional total was 106.7 cm at Glengarry, West Virginia.