Southern, Eastern US Dig Out of 2nd Major Snow Storm in Less Than a Month

Road conditions in Virginia and Washington, D.C. started to improve Sunday, but residents are still digging out after a significant snow storm swept through the eastern and southern United States early Saturday.

The storm, the second to hit the eastern and southern states in less than a month, dumped up to 20 centimeters of snow, interrupting road travel and public transportation, and causing delays and cancellations at several airports.

Last month, just before Christmas, a record winter storm dumped more than 30 centimeters of snow, causing holiday, business and air transportation disruptions.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for several counties in the eastern and southern United States, where more than 20 centimeters of snow were expected.

Hundreds of trucks and plows were deployed Saturday on streets and highways to treat major roads with sand and salt.  But Virginia residents said snow removal crews were unable to apply salt and scrape side roads.

Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia have exceeded their annual budgets for snow removal due to last month's record storm, which dropped up to 61 centimeters of snow in some areas.

In the Southeast, thousands of homes and businesses in North Carolina and South Carolina are still without power.

A man shovels snow while a child plays in his yard in freezing temperatures, Springfield, Virginia, 31 Jan 2010

The storm dumped about 24.5 centimeters of snow in the southern Virginia and in parts of North and South Carolina, causing power outages and highway pileups.  Emergency crews have had to respond to scores of traffic accidents, but so far, no casualties have been reported.

While the storm disrupted weekend plans for many Americans, it was still a lot of fun for many kids and others who had to stay at home.

Some kids got excited, bundled up and went outside to play in their front yards in the freezing temperatures.