Capital, mid-Atlantic snow measured in feet

WASHINGTON – Cross-country skiers lapped the Reflecting Pool along the National Mall. Hundreds crowded Dupont Circle for a snowball fight organized with the help of the Internet.

The famous Constitution and Independence avenues were desolate and a couple of skiers used steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a slope.

The scenes were not what tourists and locals are used to in the nation’s capital, which took on a surreal, almost magical Disney World-like feel as it was buried under nearly 2 feet of snow.

“Snowmageddon,” President Barack Obama called it.

From Pennsylvania to New Jersey, south to Virginia, the region was under at least 2 feet of snow. Parts of northern Maryland had 3 feet.

The snow fell too quickly for crews to keep up, and officials begged residents to stay home.

The usually traffic-snarled roads were mostly barren, save for some snowplows, firetrucks, ambulances and a few SUVs. People walked down the middle of New York Avenue near the Verizon Center without fear of being hit. The Wizards game to be played there had been canceled.

Philadelphia was virtually shut down with a record of nearly 27 inches.

Heavy, wet snow collapsed several roofs including at Joshua Temple Church Ministry and a private jet hangar at Dulles International Airport.