2nd Blizzard in days takes out 100 year record

We are living through some of the most extreme winter weather we'll ever experience in the metro region this morning. Heavy snow, winds exceeding 40 mph, and true whiteout conditions have paralyzed the entire region. It's not often we witness a 100-year-plus record fall. Perhaps it's fitting it went out in such extreme fashion today. National Airport's preliminary (2 p.m.) snow total of 54.9" for the 2009-2010 winter thus far puts D.C. above the previous high mark of 54.4" set way back in 1898-1899. Baltimore has also broken its all-time record with this event.
Snow will gradually diminish through early evening as the precipitation shield slowly drifts to the north and east, but strong winds gusting to around 50 mph will continue through the evening causing ground blizzard conditions and drifting snow.
Several suburban D.C. school districts, which had already canceled classes since Monday, simply ran up the white flag Wednesday and told students to stay home until Feb. 16.
All the three major regional airports — Reagan National, Washington Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International — shut down only a day after fully re-opening from the first major storm on Saturday.
Not that anyone was eager to travel. Entire neighborhoods in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland — including some still without power from the last storm — were effectively isolated for lack of snow plows even on major arteries.
The latest wintry blast pummeled most of the northeastern U.S., producing heavy snowfall into New York and New England. But its impact was felt most in the mid-Atlantic region, which was in the bulls-eye of last weekend's blizzard.
"It is something that really is unprecedented for the mid-Atlantic states and certainly Washington," said Bob Ryan, a meteorologist for NBC4-TV.
Even by Canadian standards, the pair of fierce storms — dubbed Snowpacolypse and Snoverkill — would be considered severe.