Winter storm hampers US east coast

A wide-spread pattern of winter weather has taken over much of the US East Coast, and could continue to affect the area in the coming days, the National Weather Services said Monday. According to the National Weather Services, a complicated storm extending from the Great Lakes region to the Central Gulf Coast will move northeastward to southeastern Canada and off the East Coast by Tuesday, producing freezing rain and sleet along the way. Snow will also develop over the Great Lakes into New England, while showers and thunderstorms will develop along the front over the lower Mississippi Valley into Eastern and Central Gulf Coast, said the weather service. The Weather Service said the area of greatest concern was from Virginia to New York. It forecasts another 3-5 inches of snow for the Washington-Baltimore area on Tuesday. New York City can expect 1-3 inches. The weather is impacting commuters and travelers. Federal offices in the Washington, D.C. area delayed opening by two hours Monday due to the weather, and schools across the region also opened late or closed on Monday. All across the East Coast, flights were canceled by the thousands. More than 3,200 flights were canceled on Sunday and more than 1300 were already canceled on Monday.