Another Snowstorm Heading for US Capital

February 09, 2010

With six U.S. states and Washington, D.C., digging out from a weekend blizzard, weather forecasters are predicting another major snowstorm.

The National Weather Service says 25 to 50 centimeters of additional snow could fall on the Middle Atlantic region of the United States by a storm that is expected to start Tuesday and last well into Wednesday.

Already on the ground in portions of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware is more a half meter of snow. Washington had a near-record snowfall.

The federal government was shut down on Monday, schools and businesses were closed and airports were providing limited service. Tens of thousands of homes are without electricity.

The severe winter weather has contributed to an increase in oil prices. Crude slated for March delivery rose 70 cents on Monday to nearly $72 a barrel, reversing a recent trend.