<div><p>One of the worst storms in decades blanketed much of the eastern United States with more than a foot of snow, grounding flights and bringing traffic to a standstill for millions on the final weekend of the busy holiday shopping season.</p><p>In the bullseye of the deadly weather, Washington -- a city more used to political storms than deep snow drifts -- set a December snowfall record of more than 13 inches (33 centimeters), shattering a 77-year-old record.</p><p>And with as much as another half foot (15 cm) forecast to fall on Washington by dawn Sunday, the enormous snowstorm stretching some 500 miles (800 kilometers) across a dozen states is set to become one of the biggest to sock the capital since record-keeping began in 1885.</p><p>President Barack Obama, attending a heated UN summit in Copenhagen where world leaders struggled over a plan to battle global warming, raced home to avoid the worst of the storm that hammered the East Coast with more than two feet (61 cm) of snow in some places -- two days before winter's official arrival.</p><p> After snowplows cleared the runway at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington for the presidential jet, Obama stepped off Air Force One and into a heavy snowfall before dawn Saturday. In a rare move he was whisked to the White House by motorcade rather than his Marine 1 helicopter due to the treacherous weather.</p><p>By Saturday afternoon, the capital region's three main airports -- Reagan National, Dulles, and BWI -- cancelled all incoming and outgoing flights, stranding thousands of passengers.</p><p>Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for Washington Metro airports, told CNN that crews would be working "around the clock" to clear runways and try to get them open by 6 am Sunday.</p><p>It was bleak news for millions hoping to hit the roads and skies ahead of Christmas on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.</p><p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York tried to put an uplifting spin on vicious Mother Nature. "Cold weather is here," Bloomberg was quoted by local media as saying. "Hopefully, we'll have a little bit of a white Christmas."</p><p>The storm turned much of the East Coast, home to tens of millions of Americans, into a winter wonderland, but the conditions were as perilous as they were scenic, authorities warned.</p><p>Three people died on roads in Virginia Saturday, according to the state's department of emergency management (VDEM), whose representative Bob Spieldenner said some 3,000 accidents "have shut down Virginia interstates for several hours."</p><p> "This is a very serious storm," said Maryland Emergency Management chief Richard Muth.</p><p>"The next 12-to-15 hours are going to be very hazardous," Muth added, warning people not to drive unless in an emergency.</p><p>The monster weather system was moving steadily northward, blanketing cities like Baltimore with more than nine inches (23 cm), Philadelphia (nine inches, 23 cm), and New York, where the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts near-blizzard conditions and as much as 15 inches (37 cm) of accumulation by Sunday.</p><p>Boston, further north, was facing a similar fate, with blizzard warnings in effect for parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.</p><p>Governors of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware declared states of emergency.</p><p> Some parts of Virginia had already received more than two feet (0.6 meters) of snow as of 2300 GMT Saturday, with more snow on the way. Parts of Maryland had recorded well over 15 inches (38 cm).</p><p>VDEM said the storm has knocked out power to 70,000 customers statewide.</p><p>NWS warned that weather conditions in the capital area -- hit by blowing snow coupled with cold and windy conditions -- made travel "extremely treacherous."</p><p>"Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle," it warned.</p><p>Authorities reported many drivers and passengers had been stranded in their vehicles, some for more than 12 hours.</p><p> Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty on Saturday declared a snow emergency, as most mass transit shut down.</p><p>"If this were a workday, significant activities in the city would have been paralyzed," Fenty said.</p><p>The winter wallop would likely take a bite out of retail sales on "Super Saturday," a major shopping day before Christmas.</p><p>Fenty was confident that city streets would be cleaned up by Monday.</p><p>"And hopefully all of those who have had to delay their Christmas and holiday shopping, will be able to get it done between Monday and Wednesday," he said.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65752460&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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