Another major storm headed to snowy Mid-Atlantic

WASHINGTON (AP) — Snow blew across the Midwest on Tuesday on track for the hard-hit Mid-Atlantic region, where federal government offices were closed for a second day and utility workers struggled to restore power knocked out by a weekend blizzard.

The storm hit the Midwest early, closing schools and greeting commuters with slick, slushy roads from Minneapolis and Chicago to Louisville, Ky. Powerful winds and snow were expected to hit Mid-Atlantic states by the afternoon, and could leave as much as 20 inches of new snow in Washington and 18 inches near Philadelphia — a Northeast travel hub — by Wednesday night.

Parts of the region were already buried under nearly 3 feet of snow.

Airlines that shut down flights to Washington over the weekend warned that more would be canceled and that travelers who didn't depart by Tuesday night were likely out of luck. Washington resident Chris Vaughan was fortunate enough to land a seat.

"I'm done with city, urban snow life," said Vaughan, who was going skiing in Utah. He dodged a $100 taxi "snow fare" by having a friend drop him off at Reagan National Airport — in exchange for a bottle of wine.

Others were filling their pantries in case they get stuck at home again.

"Getting around is a pain right now as it is, so slushy and sloppy," said Meghan Garaghan, 28, as she stocked up on staples and sweets at a supermarket in Philadelphia, which got 27 inches of snow. "I don't want to think about what it's going to be like with another foot and a half of snow dumped on top of this mess."