Big snowstorm hits East Coast as millions begin holiday travel

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A major storm moving up the Atlantic coast on the last shopping weekend before Christmas threatened to shut down much of the region and snarl airline travel nationwide as officials warned of up to 20 inches of snow and significant power outages.

United Airlines on Friday said it had already canceled more than 140 of today's East Coast flights because of the expected snow.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said departing flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were delayed by up to an hour Friday because of rain and wind.

Flight delays on the East Coast can boomerang through the nation's air-travel system as planes get out of position throughout the country, particularly if there are storm-related problems at key hubs used by major airlines including New York City's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, Chicago's O'Hare and Midway, Washington's Dulles and Reagan, as well as Atlanta. Travelers departing from Sea-Tac Airport or meeting arriving holiday passengers should double-check flight times before heading to the airport.

Forecasters warned of up to 20 inches of snow through tonight from the Washington metro area to West Virginia. They said it could be the most snow in the nation's capital since a February 2003 storm dumped nearly 27 inches at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

As of Friday night, Southwest Airlines had canceled most of its flights from the Baltimore airport until 2 p.m. EST today and most of its flights from Dulles until 4 p.m. EST today.

Some airlines, including Delta, United and Northwest, were offering weather waivers for Northeast and the mid-Atlantic routes.

As the storm approached, people stocked up on groceries and other staples after the National Weather Service issued winter-storm warnings Friday from the Carolinas to Rhode Island.

The storm caused President Obama to leave the climate talks in Copenhagen early, and it threatened to disrupt today's votes in the U.S. Senate on health-care legislation.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said he had already sent his family home to Alaska and was prepared to stay, although it might be tough to get out of the nation's capital afterward.

"You get one inch, and everything shuts down," Begich said. "Maybe that's just desserts."

Alaska Airlines is monitoring weather conditions that could affect just three of its flights that depart Newark and D.C., said Bobbie Egan, a spokeswoman. She said the storm shouldn't affect Alaska flights on the West Coast.

Delta Air Lines' Web site said flights going in and out of these cities could be affected: Boston; Baltimore; D.C.; Newark; New York; Philadelphia; Raleigh, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; and Roanoke, Va.

Perry Cooper, a spokesman for Sea-Tac, said morning flights from the airport shouldn't be affected because most of those planes arrived the night before.

By late Friday, snow was falling in and around the nation's capital, and had started accumulating on roads, causing many accidents.

The AAA estimated that some 88 million Americans would be traveling this week, mostly by car.

In Virginia, Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, placing the National Guard and other agencies on standby. Philadelphia and D.C. officials also declared a snow emergency.

Shoppers were trying to get their holiday buying done before the snow hit.

"Most of them are coming in this morning to shop before they get snowed in," said Kayla Mahr at the Bath and Body shop at the River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg, Va.

Up to a foot of snow was forecast for parts of Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Appalachian Power, which serves 1 million customers in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, warned of the potential for an extended power outage. Around Asheville, N.C., almost 60,000 homes were without power by late Friday night.

Virginia state police were responding to 349 reported traffic accidents across the state. Some injuries were reported, but no fatalities.

The Potomac Mills Mall, with more than 200 stores in Woodbridge, Va., planned to conduct regular weekend hours while keeping an eye on the storm.

"The plan is still to go ahead as usual and if it becomes necessary, we'll handle that as it comes," said mall spokeswoman Lauren Horsley.

Some universities in Virginia and Maryland canceled final exams and weekend commencement exercises.

The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning for west Alabama, where rivers remained swollen from heavy rains. Up to 3 more inches was possible.

Seattle Times writers Kristin Jackson and Sanjay Bhatt contributed. Material from The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers is included.