East Coast still digging out after weekend blizzards

A man clears his car in New York City after a weekend of blizzards

(Image credit: Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 25 January 2016

The weekend of blizzards along the East Coast set new records for snowfall from New York City to Baltimore, and although cleanup crews worked hard on Sunday, schools from Virginia to the Jersey Shore will be closed Monday, federal offices in Washington are shuttered, countless cars are buried under snow, hundreds of flights have been canceled, and public transportation is limited. Thirty people were reported killed in the storm, with people dying from heart attacks while shoveling snow and from breathing in carbon monoxide as well as being involved in auto accidents.

"Just about everybody was expecting a strong storm system," said National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Wichrowski on Sunday. "The question always was, just how heavy was the precipitation going to be?"

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.