WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal agencies will be closed Monday in Washington as the region continues to dig out from a weekend storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in the nation's capital.

Spokeswoman Sedelta Verble says the Office of Personnel Management made the decision to close around 5 p.m. Sunday. Federal workers were told to stay home because of safety reasons.

The decision affects some 230,000 government employees who work inside the Washington Beltway. It costs the government roughly $100 million to close for the day.

Essential services will continue, and emergency employees were expected to report to work.

The storm has grounded planes and brought trains and buses to a standstill, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. Hundreds of thousands were still without power.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Mid-Atlantic has begun digging out from the huge snowstorm that dumped record amounts in some areas -- including 3 feet of snow in western Maryland.

Washington, D.C., got a lot of attention for its 20 inches, but it was Philadelphia among the major cities that got really socked. Philly's airport reported more than 26 inches, setting a record and virtually bringing the town to a halt.

In Washington, there were more people than cars in the streets. Skiers were seen using the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a slope.

The inevitable result of such a big, heavy snowfall was thousands of accidents and downed limbs, and some half-million people without power. Some of those affected worry the power won't be back in time for Sunday's Super Bowl.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The streets of the nation's capital are very quiet today. Washington is buried under a heavy blanket of snow, and few people can drive because their cars, as well as the roads, are buried.

Across much of the mid-Atlantic region, the snow has been falling too fast for crews to clear it, and it's weighing down trees and power lines. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses have lost power from West Virginia to New Jersey.

In West Virginia, some 400 National Guard troops have been helping with snow removal.

Airlines have canceled flights and Amtrak and commuter trains ground to a halt.

In many places, the snow is close to 2 feet deep.

The conditions even made it difficult for President Barack Obama to travel a few blocks to speak at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting. Before the motorcade left the White House, there was a small fender bender on the south lawn. Then on the way back, a tree branch cracked and fell on one of the vehicles in the motorcade.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Shoppers emptied stores of milk, bread and shovels ahead of a monster snow storm bearing down Friday on the eastern US, with 30 inches or more forecast for the U.S. capital. The federal government sent workers home early and subways ran light as people stayed home.

The region's second snow storm in less than two months could be "extremely dangerous," the National Weather Service said. Heavy, wet snow and strong winds would make travel hazardous as the storm gains strength into Friday night.

Two highways deaths were blamed on snow as the storm started in Virginia. Light flakes started falling around noon (1700 GMT) in downtown D.C. as forecasters warned 30 inches (75 centimeters) or more of heavy, wet snow, accompanied by powerful winds, could fall through Saturday in Washington, Baltimore and surroundings. It could be the heaviest snowfall since January 1922 in the U.S. capital.

Airlines canceled flights across the region and school districts closed for the day ahead of the winter storm forecast from Virginia and West Virginia across Maryland into southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Some flights at Reagan National Airport were delayed Friday morning. At least 18 afternoon flights were canceled, including those run by Delta and US Airways.

Residents in the Washington area scrambled for food and supplies, but many found they were too late.

In Alexandria, Virginia, James Ivery, 60, and his wife had already bought supplies but were back at a supermarket Friday morning to get out of the house one last time before the storm. Many shelves and bins were emptied of milk, vegetables, eggs and cold cuts.

"It just seems like people are panicking. I don't think it's going to be too bad," Ivery said. "As long as I got power and satellite service, I'll be fine."

The federal government, the region's largest employer, told workers they could take Friday off as unplanned leave and prepared to shut offices four hours early.

Metro, the Washington-area rail system, said ridership Friday morning was about 23 percent less than on the same day last week, a sign people were heeding official warnings to stay home. Metro warned it would likely have to close all but the underground portions of the system during the storm. Trains cannot operate outside when snow accumulations reach 8 inches (20 centimeters) because the snow cuts off access to the electrified third rail that powers the trains.

President Barack Obama's is set to speak Saturday at the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama would likely be able to keep his scheduled appearance because the delegates were already in town and meeting at a hotel near the White House.

On Sunday, Obama plans to host a party to watch the Super Bowl, the U.S. pro football championship game, as he did last year. His guests will include lawmakers of both parties and military service members.

This time around, Obama is not quipping about Washington residents' supposed lack of winter toughness as he did shortly after taking office last year when many schools canceled classes one day because of ice.

"I think even a transplanted Hawaiian-to-Chicago has sufficient respect for a forecast of nearly two feet (60 centimeters) of snow," Gibbs said Friday.

Across the region, state officials were deploying thousands of trucks and employees and had hundreds of thousands of tons of salt at the ready.

Blizzard warnings were in effect in much of Delaware and southern New Jersey from Friday afternoon to Saturday night, with strong winds and blowing, drifting snow.

Philadelphia could get about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow and 12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 centimeters) are expected in the Pittsburgh area.

The combination of wet snow and strong winds could make conditions even more treacherous than a Dec. 19 storm that dumped more than 16 inches (41 centimeters) of snow on Washington.

Snowfalls of this magnitude _ let alone two in one season _ are rare in the area. According to the National Weather Service, Washington has gotten more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow only 13 times since 1870. The heaviest on record was 28 inches (71 centimeters) in January 1922. But the biggest snowfall is believed to have occurred in 1772, before official records were kept, when as much as 3 feet (90 centimeters) fell in the Washington-Baltimore area. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson mentioned the event in their diaries, according to the weather service.

Virginia's General Assembly canceled Friday's floor sessions and committee meetings, the first time anyone could remember that the threat of snow had sent the whole legislature home.

Southwest Airlines canceled Friday afternoon flights at Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington airports. Amtrak canceled most trains heading south from Washington, D.C.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has been in office less than a month, declared his second snow emergency, authorizing state agencies to assist local governments. The assistance includes deploying National Guard soldiers and emergency response teams.

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Associated Press writers Kathleen Miller in Falls Church, Virginia, and Steve Szkotak in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.