The U.S. government was closed Monday, and children in Washington got the day off from school, giving the city a chance to dig out and clean up from the record-breaking winter storm.
Government offices will be closed again Tuesday, as many Washington streets are still snow-covered. The day off for all but emergency government workers Monday let snow plows do their job without dodging heavy commuter traffic, but many streets and some lanes on highways remain piled with snow.
Above-freezing temperatures gave residents a chance to dig out from the 76 centimeters of snow that fell on some parts of the Washington area. Tuesday should even be a bit warmer.
More than 1,500 flights in and out of major east coast airports in Washington, Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia were canceled Monday while commuter rail service gradually returned to normal schedules.
The winter storm brought blizzards, floods and record-setting snowfall to tens of millions of people from New York City to the south.
The huge storm moved up the Atlantic coast Friday and Saturday, bringing near hurricane-force winds and moisture from the warm Gulf of Mexico.
It struck hardest in the Baltimore and Washington area -- two cities unaccustomed to violent winter weather.
At least 35 storm-related deaths have been reported, including heart attacks from shoveling snow.
One man in Pennsylvania suffocated in his parked car with the motor running when a plow completely buried the vehicle with snow, blocking the exhaust pipe and filling the car with carbon monoxide.
