DC Gets Inch of Snow, Chaos Reigns

A predicted blizzard isn't expected to hit Washington, DC, until Friday, but area roads are already a mess. About an inch of snow fell in the region on Wednesday evening, resulting in traffic delays and at least 163 accidents, reports WUSA. A trooper who was responding to a crash in Northern Virginia was taken to a hospital with minor injuries after he was struck by a vehicle that swerved to avoid one that was merging. Even vehicles in President Obama's motorcade were seen sliding into curbs, per NBC News.

Meteorologists now say an approaching and "potentially crippling" winter storm could drop up to 2 feet of snow on DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia starting Friday. Areas from New York City to southeastern Massachusetts could see a foot of snow, while 6 inches is expected to fall on a 1,000-mile swath stretching from near the Mississippi River to southern New England, reports AccuWeather. "The Mid-Atlantic is going to get walloped. We're talking blizzard condition, whiteout conditions," a meteorologist says. "This could be a long-duration snowfall that could last 24 hours or more in some locations," another adds. (More winter storm stories.)