Washington:
The US government shut down offices in the Washington, D.C., area and hundreds of flights in the region were cancelled as a snowstorm hit Wednesday.
The worst of the storm was expected to arrive by midday after sweeping through the Midwest and stopping more than 1,100 flights at Chicago airports.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled at Dulles and Reagan National airports in the Washington area, according to FlightAware.com.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which sets leave policies for 300,000 federal workers, said non-emergency employees would be granted excused absences for Wednesday.