People walk as snow falls at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, March 6. A winter storm that set snowfall records in Chicago arrived in the capital region early Wednesday, shutting down federal offices and schools. It’s been dubbed “snowquester,” a play on the recent forced spending cuts in government.

Tourists battle rain at the Lincoln Memorial on March 6.

A llama sits atop an abandoned school bus at Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia on March 6.

Hunter Gallagher uses a shovel to write a letter in his girlfriend’s name in the snow on the football field at Catholic University on March 6 in Washington.

A man walks on 17th Street as snow and rain begin to fall on March 6 in Washington.

U.S. Capitol Police officer Alex Rys’ hat is dusted with snow as he patrols on Capitol Hill on March 6.

A man walks in front of the White House as snow and rain hit the Washington area on March 6.

Workers use shovels and brooms to remove a heavy mixture of snow and ice from the west front of the U.S. Supreme Court on March 6.

A tourist takes cover under an umbrella while snapping photos of the U.S. Capitol on March 6, in Washington.

Motorists make their way on Interstate 35W into downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 5.

Chicago had its first snowfall of 6 inches or more since February 2011, leaving the Cloud Gate sculpture, commonly known as “The Bean,” covered in the white stuff on March 5.

Brett Jordan makes nearly a 2-mile trek home from the bus stop in Chicago on March 5.

Arturo Garcia, left, and Ricardo Perez clear snow from Chicago’s Riverside Plaza on March 5.

Jennifer Mosby crosses the Adams Street Bridge over the Chicago River on March 5 in the Windy City.

HIDE CAPTION

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

‘Snowquester’ hits D.C., Northeast

<<

<

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

>

>>

Are you experiencing winter weather in your area? Share your story with CNN iReport.

(CNN) — They’d hoped to trade political potshots for wet snowballs.

Instead, the storm billed as “Snowquester” is turning out to be nothing more than a big wet blanket for members of the Washington D.C. Snowball Fight Association. The group had planned a big showdown in DuPont Circle, where a few years ago 3,000 people turned out for a humdinger of a fight.

But where 5 to 10 inches of wet snow was supposed to fall on DuPont Circle, not even slush was accumulating Wednesday afternoon, said organizer Michael Lipin.

“Quite a letdown,” he said.

Snowstorm marches east

Snowstorm blankets Midwest, heads East

Snow wallops the Midwest

Zoo animals, workers deal with snow

How do you really feel about the snow?

Airlines canceled more than 1,600 flights, leaving passengers such as Alex Thompson, who had hoped to take a flight to San Francisco, with plenty of time on their hands.

Thompson traveled all the way from Kenya only to find that his next flight was one of hundreds called off until Thursday because of the storm.

With no hotel reservations and nowhere else to go, he said he’d find a place to sack out at Dulles International Airport and “waste my time until I can get on my flight.”

Capital closings

The dire forecast issued Tuesday prompted the federal government to close offices in the nation’s capital, but emergency workers and telecommuters were expected to be on duty, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

The White House canceled a planned celebration for the Alabama Crimson Tide, college football champions, and Congress called off several hearings.

More than 954,000 students who attend major school districts in Washington, Virginia, Maryland and Ohio got the day off.

Amtrak shut down some trains in Washington, Virginia, West Virginia and New York.

Track the late-winter storm

But tourism goes on

Not all of Washington was shut down. Although the National Zoo was closed, the Smithsonian said its museums would be open for visitors.

Washington’s Metrorail system was running, although some bus service was disrupted, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Flooding threat

Along the coast, the problem wasn’t snow, but high winds and the threat of flooding.

The National Weather Service issued coastal flood warnings for parts of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Officials in parts of New Jersey suggested residents evacuate from flood-prone areas along the coast, including areas still recovering from damage done by Hurricane Sandy in October, according to CNN affiliate WABC.

A flood warning was in effect through Friday morning for the eastern coast of Massachusetts based on a “high confidence” for high winds, storm surge, and moderate to major coastal flooding, the state’s emergency management agency said.

About 300 National Guard troops will be used along the Massachusetts coast to help with flooding and possible evacuations, agency spokesman Peter Judge said.

Fifty Delaware National Guard troops were called up as emergency management officials urged some coastal residents in that state to evacuate, saying flooding would cut off exit routes. The agency warned of almost certain flooding in areas and said “conditions during the height of the storm could make the process of leaving flooded areas dangerous or impossible.”

High winds forced the brief closure of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in both directions, Maryland authorities said, but not before a tractor trailer overturned on one end, CNN affiliate WJZ reported.

Wind was believed to have been a major factor in the accident.

Power was out across the Delmarva Peninsula, which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, Delmarva Power reported.

In coastal Sussex County, the 911 center reported numerous calls for wires down, vehicle accidents and trees down.

Water breached a sand dune in Sussex County, forcing the closure of State Route 1 in the county, according to DEMA.

Is the snow helping ease drought?

Midwest recovering

The storm is the same one that earlier dumped about a foot of snow in parts of Illinois, Minnesota and North Dakota, paving a white swath across the Upper Midwest.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport had 6 inches of snow Tuesday, beating a 1999 record for the date by 2.2 inches. It was the first snowfall of 6 inches or more in the Windy City since February 2011, the weather service said.

Plows removed snow from roads and trucks spread salt and sand, but drivers still slipped off of roadways, leaving snow-covered cars to be retrieved by tow trucks.

Tuesday’s snow put a drag on air traffic in the Midwest, leading to delays and cancellations, but planes continued to fly in Columbus, Ohio, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, after plows removed the snow from runways.

Analyze the snowfall

CNN’s Dave Hennen, Shannon Travis, Melissa Gray, Devon Sayers, Dave Alsup, Mariano Castillo, Dana Ford, Phil Gast, Ben Brumfield, Joe Johns, and Lawrence Crook contributed to this report