Second winter storm expected to hit mid-Atlantic, Appalachians

Second winter storm expected to hit mid-Atlantic, Appalachians

Another round of snow is in the forecast for the mid-Atlantic region, just in time for the morning commute.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Eastern Seaboard, including Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. Snow will begin early Tuesday morning and into the morning rush hour, with accumulations of 3 to 6 inches.

The new snow comes on the heels of Sunday's wintry weather, which dumped several inches of snow on Philadelphia and northern Maryland.

Elsewhere, eastern and central Kentucky and southwest Virginia are expected to get 1 to 3 inches of snow.

All of West Virginia is likely to see snow Tuesday, with 2 to 4 inches forecast for north and central parts of the state and 3 to 5 in the mountains.

The first storm covered parts of North Texas in ice over the weekend and then moved East. Below-zero temperatures crowned the top of the U.S. from Idaho to Minnesota, where many roads still had an inch-thick plate of ice, polished smooth by traffic and impervious to ice-melting chemicals, making intersections an adventure.

Some of the most difficult conditions were in North Texas. More than 22,000 Dallas-area homes and businesses were still without power on Monday, according to electric utility Oncor. That was down from 270,000 on Friday. Dallas students got a snow day.

More than half of the nation's flight cancellations on Monday were at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, dominated by American Airlines. About 650 travelers were stranded there Sunday night.

Nationally, there have been more than 6,100 flight cancellations since Saturday, according to FlightStats.com, including more than 2,800 by American or its American Eagle regional airline. American emerged from bankruptcy protection and merged with US Airways on Monday.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, more than 100 flights were canceled, according to FlightStats.com, and crowds were sparse Monday morning as travelers made alternate plans. Some, though, were settling in for a long wait.

Emilio Lobato, 53, his wife Cheri and their daughters Katherine, 12, and Victoria, 10, were forced to spend an extra night in Washington following a long weekend sightseeing trip. Their flight home Sunday to Jacksonville, Fla., was canceled, and on Monday, the best they could do was a late-afternoon flight to Tampa, across the state.

"My daughter said it would be great to see some snow," Lobato said. "You know what they say: Be careful what you wish for."

"These kids are good travelers," he said. "It's part of the hazards of being a tourist," Lobato said. "They've got homework and books, and maybe they'll break out in some Christmas carols."