Federal offices in the Washington area close ahead of new round of winter weather

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON – A strong cold front moving across the eastern U.S. has dumped deep snow in some regions and prompted the federal government to close its offices in the Washington area.

Record low temperatures were in the forecast for dozens of cities.

In New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, a plane skidded off a runway while landing Thursday morning. The Fire Department of New York says any injuries appeared to be minor. The Delta flight from Atlanta was carrying 125 passengers and five crew members.

The federal Office of Personnel Management said non-emergency personnel in and around Washington were granted excused absences for the day. Emergency employees and telework-ready employees were expected to work.

The weather forecast got Congress going and produced rare bipartisan agreements in the House and in the Senate to finish business early and get out of town. Up to 8 inches (20 centimetres) of snow was in the forecast for Thursday morning.

More than 20 inches (50 centimetres) of snow into parts of Kentucky, and it was starting to pile up in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Forecasts showed much of the South will see temperatures drop 30 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 to 7 degrees Celsius) in a 24-hour period thanks to yet another arctic cold front. Some locations may even see their coldest temperatures ever recorded so late in the season including Nashville, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Meanwhile, areas farther north, such as Maryland, New York and New Jersey, were seeing snow early Thursday.

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