Ashley Hermit, left, sleds with Julia Preston, 9, center, and her mother Caroline Preston, right, on a hill at the U.S. Capitol.

March 14, 2017 Ashley Hermit, left, sleds with Julia Preston, 9, center, and her mother Caroline Preston, right, on a hill at the U.S. Capitol. Matt McClain/The Washington Post

A powerful Nor’easter delivers every type of winter precipitation imaginable across the metro region.

A jogger and his dog navigate a snow-covered path on the Mall in Washington.

A jogger and his dog navigate a snow-covered path on the Mall in Washington.

The first major winter storm in the Washington region closed some schools Tuesday, delayed the opening of others and the start of the day for federal workers, but fell short of the paralyzing impact it had from New York to New England.

Every major school system in the region closed Tuesday, with the exception of D.C. schools, which opened late. Several systems announced they would open late on Wednesday, and public schools in Prince William County and Manassas City will be closed. Officials warned that snowy slush could turn to ice during colder overnight temperatures.

The Washington Teachers’ Union criticized the decision to remain open Tuesday, saying it put faculty and students at risk.

“Over 2,000 of our teachers live outside of the District, primarily because their salaries do not allow them to buy or rent homes in D.C.,” President Elizabeth A. Davis said in a statement. “It’s unfair to ask them to travel from places like Fairfax, Gaithersburg, Waldorf and other towns and cities outside of D.C. to make it to work on a day like today.”

“What message are we sending our children and their parents when city leaders use their authority to decide to close their own offices and stay home where they are safe, but then refuse to close the D.C. schools, thereby forcing children and DCPS school workers to report to school under these same risky and unsafe road conditions?” Davis said.

(The Washington Post)

The decision to open schools two hours late was made by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) in consultation with school officials and city agencies, said D.C. Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Lerner.

“Our priority is to open schools whenever possible,” Lerner said, pointing to the 77 percent of the school district’s 48,000 students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals and rely on school for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

The weather created travel chaos affecting almost every city in the Northeast, with nearly 7,000 flights canceled. Amtrak and other rail lines — including Metro — reduced service, and there were flood warnings along the coast from Delaware to Massachusetts.

The outlook for air travel Wednesday was much brighter, with fewer than 1,000 flight cancellations. Officials at American Airlines said they resumed flights from Philadelphia’s airport at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The airline expected to resume flights out of New York, New Jersey and Boston by noon Wednesday.

Metro will resume normal rail service Wednesday, but Metrobus will begin the day on a “moderate” service schedule because of potential refreezing overnight, which could create slick conditions on roads.

Bus routes that run on a “moderate” schedule can be seen here.

The ice and heavy snow brought down trees and power lines, knocking out service for more than 5,000 customers in the Washington region, but utilities moved quickly to restore power.

(Reuters)

“Our crews have been working around the clock and have already made significant progress to restore power to customers,” said Pepco President Donna Cooper.

However, Smeco, which serves Charles County, reported about 2,000 homes and businesses there without power about 8:30 p.m.

[Wintry mix tapering off in D.C. region; scattered snow showers likely this afternoon]

Snowfall amounts varied. The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang reported snowfall totals of 10 inches in Frederick County, Md.; four inches in northern Montgomery County; 6.5 inches in Loudoun County, Va.; and three inches inside the Beltway.

Powerful wind gusts were felt throughout the region. All three major airports measured gusts of more than 40 mph on Thursday.

Many in the D.C. region were surprised to be dealing with winter in March.

For some, the bus was a refuge.

Wearing a blue lanyard around his neck, a middle-age man tucked his roller bag, duffle bag and carefully folded comforter into a couple of seats by the back door of the S4 Metrobus.

It was cold out there, but it could have been worse.

The decision by District schools to open two hours late did not bother Amy Duarte Feehan, but the call’s timing did.

“I’m from the Midwest, so I’m totally fine with school being open and support that decision,” said Feehan, who teaches literacy at Brightwood elementary. “My frustration is that they told us at 5 a.m. It’s really hard to plan your day at 5 a.m., and to wait that long feels somewhat disrespectful to parents.”

Highways and major roads in Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs were passable fairly early in the day, state officials said. But crews continued to shove aside slush from between lanes.

Virginia and Maryland state police said they handled more than 100 calls for crashes Tuesday morning because of icing., and officials said many drivers continued to drive too fast for the conditions

The likelihood of remaining slush refreezing before Wednesday morning’s commute worried road crews, particularly as ramps and overpasses freeze first.

The high potential for black ice “is even more concerning than if there was just snow on the roads,” said Jennifer McCord, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation. “People need to take that seriously.”

The storm’s primary challenge was its vast mix of precipitation, from a wet, slushy snow to freezing rain and sleet. Charlie Gischlar, a spokesman for the Maryland State Highway Administration, said there were about 20 reports Tuesday of large limbs falling onto roads and power lines in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties and southern Maryland. Snowfall was heaviest in upper Montgomery and Frederick counties.

Even when the storm moved on, Gischlar said, crews would continue to treat icy spots overnight.

“It’s not over yet,” he said.

Like many hardware store managers, Eric Hardy of Old Takoma Ace Hardware in Takoma Park had already made the switch to spring inventory. At the end of a mild February, he had stashed the unsold shovels at an off site storage unit. His three pallets of leftover ice melt were buried underneath bags of mulch and topsoil.

“I looked at the forecast three weeks ago and didn’t see anything like this,” Hardy said as two men stood in line to buy the suddenly coveted shovels. “We had to dig it all out on Saturday.”

By midmorning Tuesday, his sales had been brisk. One pallet of salt was gone by the time the first flakes fell Monday evening. So were the sleds that had gone unwanted all winter long.

“We still have some toboggans,” Hardy said.

They were right next to the grass seed.

[Federal government and school closures and delays in the D.C. area]

Lori Aratani, Emma Brown, Peter Hermann, Steve Hendrix, Michael Laris, Antonio Olivo, Katherine Shaver, Joe Heim, Martin Weil and Angela Fritz contributed to this report.