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After Massive Snowstorm, East Coast Digs Out — And Lives It Up

By Camila Domonoske
Published January 24, 2016 at 1:46 PM EST
Baltimore residents participate in a snowball fight on Sunday. The storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to Baltimore, according to the Weather Channel.
1 of 11  — Baltimore residents participate in a snowball fight on Sunday. The storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to Baltimore, according to the Weather Channel.
Baltimore residents participate in a snowball fight on Sunday. The storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to Baltimore, according to the Weather Channel.
Sledders take advantage of the snow on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sunday.
2 of 11  — Sledders take advantage of the snow on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sunday.
Sledders take advantage of the snow on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sunday.
District resident Sam Carson (right) helps his daughter, Cassidy, 3, build a snowman on the Capitol lawn on Sunday.
3 of 11  — District resident Sam Carson (right) helps his daughter, Cassidy, 3, build a snowman on the Capitol lawn on Sunday.
District resident Sam Carson (right) helps his daughter, Cassidy, 3, build a snowman on the Capitol lawn on Sunday.
Children slide in the snow in Central Park in New York on Sunday.
4 of 11  — Children slide in the snow in Central Park in New York on Sunday.
Children slide in the snow in Central Park in New York on Sunday.
Sledders take over the Capitol in Washington on Sunday.
5 of 11  — Sledders take over the Capitol in Washington on Sunday.
Sledders take over the Capitol in Washington on Sunday.
Snowball fights have become a tradition after every major snow storm in Washington, D.C.
6 of 11  — Snowball fights have become a tradition after every major snow storm in Washington, D.C.
Snowball fights have become a tradition after every major snow storm in Washington, D.C.
This year's D.C. snowball fight was dubbed "Snow Wars: The Snowball Strikes Back" on Facebook.
7 of 11  — This year's D.C. snowball fight was dubbed "Snow Wars: The Snowball Strikes Back" on Facebook.
This year's D.C. snowball fight was dubbed "Snow Wars: The Snowball Strikes Back" on Facebook.
People sled down an on ramp to I-76 West on Sunday in Philadelphia. Millions of people are digging themselves out after a record snowstorm affected most of the Mid-Atlantic states.
8 of 11  — People sled down an on ramp to I-76 West on Sunday in Philadelphia. Millions of people are digging themselves out after a record snowstorm affected most of the Mid-Atlantic states.
People sled down an on ramp to I-76 West on Sunday in Philadelphia. Millions of people are digging themselves out after a record snowstorm affected most of the Mid-Atlantic states.
People ski in New York City's Central Park on Sunday.
9 of 11  — People ski in New York City's Central Park on Sunday.
People ski in New York City's Central Park on Sunday.
Local resident Mollie Holleman takes in the sights with her dog, Duncan, near the Capitol in Washington.
10 of 11  — Local resident Mollie Holleman takes in the sights with her dog, Duncan, near the Capitol in Washington.
Local resident Mollie Holleman takes in the sights with her dog, Duncan, near the Capitol in Washington.
Snow is mostly cleared from around the Supreme Court.
11 of 11  — Snow is mostly cleared from around the Supreme Court.
Snow is mostly cleared from around the Supreme Court.

Shovelful by shovelful, snowplow by snowplow, the East Coast is digging its way out from underneath an enormous winter storm that blanketed much of the region with up to 3 feet of snow.

And as high winds and 36 hours of snow give way to clear skies and sunshine, some people are taking to the wintry landscape with glee.

More and more streets are becoming passable, as snow crews clear the roads — although authorities in many regions still urge caution from drivers.

A woman decorates a snowman in Times Square on Saturday, while all cars but emergency vehicles were banned from driving on the road. The travel ban was lifted Sunday morning.
Yana Paskova / Getty Images
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Getty Images
A woman decorates a snowman in Times Square on Saturday, while all cars but emergency vehicles were banned from driving on the road. The travel ban was lifted Sunday morning.

New York City's transportation systems are back up and running, for the most part, and a citywide travel ban was lifted at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Broadway shows have resumed. The New York Stock Exchange plans to open on Monday as normal.

Still, the effects of the storm are far from finished. Flights are still being canceled, with the impact stretching into Monday, and some local governments and schools are planning to stay shut one extra day.

Some legislators, meanwhile, are getting a whole week off. The U.S. House of Representatives — which has been adjourned for more than a week, and was due to take up votes again on Tuesday — has canceled votes until Feb. 1 because of the weather, Reuters reports.

A worker cleans the sidewalk along 19th Street in Washington on Sunday.
Olivier Douliery / AFP/Getty Images
/
AFP/Getty Images
A worker cleans the sidewalk along 19th Street in Washington on Sunday.

The storm had many serious consequences — from impaired travel to casualties to the as-yet-untallied cost of coastal flooding.

But it also brought delight: not just to the National Zoo's giant panda but to snow lovers across the region.

The fun started even before the snow stopped — whether it was a pickup game of snow football with D.C. police ...

... Washington-area kids burning off their cabin fever with some (now legal!) sledding on Capitol Hill ...

... Casey Neistat defying the travel ban in New York City to chase some thrills on a snowboard (with another surprising police appearance) ...

... or a kayak zooming down a road in West Virginia.

This volume of snow is rare for most of the millions of people affected by this storm. That it arrived on a weekend — when even people who don't normally get snow days can enjoy it — is an added perk.

And since the sun came out, the occasion has been marked with snowball fights, skiing and sledding up and down the coast.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Camila Domonoske
Camila Flamiano Domonoske covers cars, energy and the future of mobility for NPR's Business Desk.
See stories by Camila Domonoske