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Washington freezes under record snowfall

Record fall: the US capital is still crippled by the snow - Reuters

Washington DC is starting to dig itself out from under yesterday's record snowfall but 100,000 homes in the region are still without power.

The US capital is still crippled by the massive snowfall, which dumped 60 to 100 centimetres of snow across America's mid-Atlantic.

Icy conditions and freezing winds are not helping efforts to clear roads and repair broken power lines.

Major cities are effectively shut down, public transport services have been suspended and authorities are appealing to people to stay off the roads.

Forecasters say the wind chill and icy conditions mean the snow is not going anywhere in a hurry.

Another 30 centimetres of snow is expected to fall by Wednesday.

Officials are considering opening shelters for thousands of families who have no means of keeping warm.

- ABC

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