<div><p>A major snow storm blanketed a large swathe of the eastern United States on Saturday, delaying flights and snarling traffic across the region on the last weekend of the Christmas holiday shopping season.</p><p>In the bullseye of the storm, Baltimore and Washington -- in a snow emergency -- were on track to break record December snowfall, with one to two feet forecast by dawn Sunday.</p><p>That would eclipse Washington's 12-inch (30-centimeter) record set in 1932, and Baltimore's record 14.1 inches (35.8 cm) from 1960.</p><p>Some areas were forecast to receive up to two feet (61 centimeters) of snow.</p><p>As snow piled up in the early morning hours, the White House was whiter than usual, barely visible from just a block away.</p><p>But the conditions were just as perilous as they were scenic, authorities warned.</p><p>"This is a very serious storm," said Maryland Emergency Management chief Richard Muth.</p><p>"The next 12-to-15 hours are going to be very hazardous," Muth added, warning people not to head out unless it is essential, on this last weekend of the Christmas holiday shopping season.</p><p>Governor Tim Kaine earlier declared a state of emergency in Virginia, urging people not to take to the streets.</p><p>Warnings were in effect along the Atlantic Coast, from North Carolina and Tennessee to New Jersey and Connecticut, with the storm pounding major cities, including Washington, Baltimore and New York, according to the National Weather Service.</p><p>Those cities were also under a blizzard warning, which leads to white out conditions that make travel dangerous.</p><p>Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia were also hit hard by the storm.</p><p>President Barack Obama raced back to Washington to avoid the worst of the storm, and landed at Andrews Air Force Base with snow falling shortly after 1:00 am (0600 GMT).</p><p>Snowplows cleared the runway as Obama's blue and white Air Force One jumbo jet landed. He headed home after spending less than 24 hours in Copenhagen for climate change talks that culminated with a draft deal to limit global warming.</p><p>The National Weather service warned that weather conditions in the capital area -- hit by blowing snow coupled with cold and windy conditions -- made travel "extremely treacherous."</p><p>"Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle," it warned.</p><p>Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty on Saturday declared a snow emergency.</p><p>"If this were a workday, significant activities in the city would have been paralyzed," Fenty said.</p><p>The capital's bus system was experiencing major delays due to the heavy snow, though the Metrorail system was largely unaffected.</p><p>The winter wallop would likely take a bite out of retail sales on "Super Saturday," a major shopping day before Christmas.</p><p>Fenty was confident that the streets of the US capital would be cleaned up by Monday.</p><p>"And hopefully all of those who have had delay their Christmas and holiday shopping, will be able to get it done between Monday and Wednesday," he said.</p><p>Hundreds of flight were either cancelled or delayed in major hubs like Chicago, New York, and Washington.</p><p>"We won't close the airports, but we will probably see fewer to probably no operations as the day continues," Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for Washington Metro airports, told CNN.</p><p>The regional airport authority said on its website around 1600 GMT that "very few flights" were scheduled to operate Saturday.</p><p>Crews nevertheless worked around the clock to clear runways at Washington Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport.</p><p>The storm system originated over the Gulf of Mexico, unleashing flash floods in much of southeastern United States. The rain turned to snow as the storm tracked northeastward into sub-freezing temperatures.</p><p>Snow was forecast to fall through Saturday afternoon before tapering off.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=65730511&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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