Snowtober knocks out power for thousands
Sunday - 10/30/2011, 6:28am ET
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=2610965
Snow near Gambrills State Park in Maryland. (Photo Courtesy of Brian and Danielle)WASHINGTON - A rare October snowstorm came through the D.C area Saturday, leaving slick, wet roads and thousands of people without power.
A mix of rain, snow and sleet hit the D.C. area for most of the day Saturday before tapering off in the evening.
A freeze warning remains in effect for the WTOP listening area until 9 a.m.
The wet, heavy snow caused thousands of people across the D.C. area to lose power.
Here are the power outages as of 7 a.m.:
•Allegheny: 11,612
•Rappahannock Electric Cooperative: 6,151
•Dominion: 385
•BGE: 234
•NOVEC: 392
The region saw anywhere from a trace to 4 or more inches of snow. Only a trace of snow was recorded at Reagan National and BWI Marshall, but 0.6 inches were recorded at Dulles International Airport. See the snowfall totals from the National Weather Service here.
The storm has caused some plans to change for Sunday. See the full list of closings and delays here.
Sunday will be sunny and cold with highs in the upper 40s.
On Monday, Halloween, Stinneford says temperatures should be in the 50s and partly sunny.
An October snow isn't unheard of in the D.C. area.
The earliest measurable snowfall in the area was on Oct. 10, 1979, according to the National Weather Service. Only .3 inches fell that day. There were trace amounts of snow in the D.C. area on Oct. 5, 1892.