Late-winter snow coated the Washington region on Saturday, causing flight cancellations and other disruptions even as early cherry blossom blooms were showing signs of spring approaching in the nation’s capital.
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Wind-swept snow totals ranged from less than 1 to more than 4 inches, with strong gusts and cold temperatures into the evening. The storm arrived a day before “spring forward” daylight saving time was set to change clocks on Sunday. It led some schools in Frederick and Carroll counties in Maryland to close buildings where students had been scheduled to take the SAT college admissions test. There were also weather-related car crashes and flight cancellations in and out of Washington.
Reagan National Airport had many canceled flights, according to FlightAware, which compiles commercial aviation data. As of Saturday afternoon, 117 outbound flights and 104 inbound flights had been canceled at National. At nearby Dulles International Airport, cancellations totaled 19 outbound and 19 inbound.
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Some travelers were stranded. Drew Morris, an attorney from Boca Raton, Fla., who traveled to Washington for a two-day work trip, was supposed to leave on an 8 a.m. flight from National that was canceled. Then he took an Uber in the storm to Dulles in hopes of making a noon flight that was also canceled.
“I have two little kids, and my wife I’m sure is up to her eyeballs chasing them around,” Morris said. “I’m sure when I get home, she’ll deserve a nice break at the spa while I take on Daddy duty.”
He was still trying to find a way home the afternoon. “I’m used to this for Chicago for something, but I didn’t know D.C. got this brutal,” he said.
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Forecasters predicted wind gusts on Saturday evening of 30 to 40 mph and temperatures falling through the 20s, which meant wind chills in the teens.
By Sunday morning, lows were expected to drop into the upper teens — the coldest in about a month.
The famed cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin should be fine, forecasters predict, because the buds had not advanced far enough to be vulnerable. However, early bloomers like magnolias might not fare as well.
How will the cherry blossoms fare amid cold and snow Saturday?
The “People’s Convoy,” a group of truckers and others who have traveled from Adelanto, Calif., to Hagerstown, Md., to protest coronavirus-related mandates, planned to halt its Capital Beltway-circling demonstrations on Saturday because of the weather. The group has been in the area since last weekend.
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“Bad weather. We’re going to hunker down,” one of the organizers said to the group Friday night. “Stay warm. See you tomorrow in the snow.”
The storms put a dent into many weekend plans. Lisa Gorove, who lives in Lake Barcroft in Northern Virginia, said she spent a good chunk of Saturday morning debating whether to drive to Woodbridge, which would normally take about 30 minutes. She wanted to exchange a loaned car to get a red Honda CRV.
“It’s a sports car, and it’s so cute,” she said. “I want my red car! This is D.C. We freak out because we had some snowflakes.”
Gorove, a federal worker, said if she didn’t venture out on Saturday she would have to take a day off in coming days to deal with the exchange.
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“I’m looking at the street, looking out the window and deciding how much I really want that little red car, or whether I should delay gratification,” she said. “I’m kind of like, bated breath. I don’t know.”
By Saturday afternoon, she decided to brave the storm to get her red car.
The snow originated from a powerful storm system that brought snow as far south as northern Mississippi and Alabama on Friday night. It delivered the most March snow to Nashville in seven years. After racing through the Northeast Saturday evening and unleashing more snow, the system will leave behind much quieter weather in its wake Sunday.
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In Washington, after a chilly Sunday in the 40s, highs will return to near 60 degrees by Monday.
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Saturday’s storm produced about an inch of snow at Reagan National Airport, pushing the seasonal total over 13 inches, very close to the 30-year average.
Significantly heavier amounts fell in colder areas north and west of the Beltway. Dulles Airport received about 3.5 inches, while up to 5 inches fell in northern Montgomery County.
Karina Elwood, Ian Livingston and Jason Samenow contributed to this report.