Travel to Middle East unaffected by Washington area winter storm

Cold temperatures, snow and freezing rain sweep mid-Atlantic region

A plough clears the area as snow blankets Capitol Hill ahead of a joint session of Congress to certify the votes from the Electoral College in the presidential election in Washington, on January 6. AP

Snow blanketed the US capital in the country's first major winter storm of the year on Monday, which affected travel, school and work for millions of Americans.

FlightAware reported hundreds of cancellations at Reagan National, Washington Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International airports on Monday. But Gulf and Middle Eastern airline travel to the Washington area appeared to be unaffected with flights departing and arriving on time. Snow in the UK affected Emirates and Etihad flights.

The US National Weather Service forecast up to 30cm of snow accumulation in Washington, where a joint session of Congress was set to certify president-elect Donald Trump's victory, taking place after a pro-Trump insurrection in 2021 on the same day four years ago.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Fox News that he hoped for “full attendance” despite the weather challenges for the city.

The NWS reported heavy snow, freezing rain and some severe thunderstorms with a risk of tornadoes or hail from the mid-Atlantic to the east coast and south-east.

Meteorologists also said temperatures are expected to fall with some regions experiencing -18ºC. Weather forecasts showed that strong wind gusts may add to the cold temperatures.

Governors of Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia and Maryland have declared a state of emergency in their states, urging residents to stay at home if possible.

About 300,000 people from Missouri to Virginia were out of power due to the wintry conditions, according to power cut data website PowerOutage.us.