Major winter storm slams mid-Atlantic, closing schools and canceling flights: Latest

Over 2,000 flights have been canceled across the U.S.

ByMax Golembo, Emily Shapiro, and Melissa Griffin

January 6, 2025, 8:44 PM

A major winter storm that broke snowfall records in the Midwest is now slamming the mid-Atlantic and causing the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights across the U.S.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is the hardest-hit airport.

More than 50 million Americans from Kentucky to Washington, D.C., remain under winter alerts as the last of the storm pushes through Monday afternoon.

Heavy sleet and freezing rain struck Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, causing power outages, while snow is targeting the Washington, D.C., area.

Workers remove snow from a driveway at the White House in Washington, DC on January 6, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The White House is pictured during a winter snowstorm in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025.
Matt Rourke/AP

Schools are closed in Philadelphia, Baltimore and D.C. and states of emergency are in effect in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.

Five to 6 inches of snow has been reported around the D.C. area.

A general view shows the Washington Monument under heavy snow fall in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

A work crew clears snow from the sidewalk in downtown Washington, DC, January 6, 2025.
Shawn Thew/EPA via Shutterstock

Hundreds of D.C. residents of all ages descended on Meridian Hill Park for a massive snowball fight, including ABC News chief meteorologist and chief climate correspondent Ginger Zee.

"When do adults get to have this kind of fun?" D.C. public school teacher Tiik Pollet told ABC News. "You get to just chill -- literally -- and be kids again."

"You know how rare it is to get decent snowfall in D.C.? So, we want to have some fun with it," said one of the event organizers, Michael Lippin.

People engage in a snowball fight as U.S. flags, along the base of the Washington Monument, fly at half-staff in memorial to former President Jimmy Carter in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025.
Matt Rourke/AP

People participate in snowball fight at Meridian Hill Park, as a winter storm that brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures to a broad swath of the U.S. hits Washington, January 6, 2025.
Marko Djurica/Reuters

Federal offices are closed in D.C., where a snow emergency is in effect until at least the end of Tuesday, officials said.

D.C. Transportation Department Director Sharon Kershbaum told ABC News Live that the city has been preparing for weeks and has geared up nearly 250 snowplows.

A man shovels snow near the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2025.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

National Park Service workers shovel a pathway during a winter storm at the White House, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP

"if you don't need to travel, please don't," she said, adding, "Our priority is to make sure that Congress can get where they need to."

Although federal offices are closed, Congress gathered on Monday for a joint session to certify the results of the 2024 election, the final step before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Workers clear the plaza at the Capitol as snow falls ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election, in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

MORE: Here's what to expect when Congress convenes to certify the presidential vote

Another batch of snow could move through D.C. on Monday evening.

Before reaching the East Coast, this storm hit the Midwest on Sunday.

A person clears snow from front stairs of a home following a winter storm, Jan. 6, 2025, in St. Louis.
Jeff Roberson/AP

Traffic makes it way on snow-covered U.S. 31 in Carmel, Ind., Jan. 6, 2025.
Michael Conroy/AP

MORE: 1 dead, 1 injured after ski group triggers avalanche in Wyoming

Snowfall totals topped 1 foot in Kansas and Missouri, while over 10 inches of snow has been recorded at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

Nine fatalities have been attributed to the storm: two in Missouri, two in Kansas, three in Virginia, one in North Carolina and one in West Virginia, officials said. All were related to car crashes or drivers otherwise losing control of their vehicles on slick roads.

President Joe Biden and his team are closely monitoring the storm, a White House spokesperson said.