North Texans, already reeling from a record day of snowfall

North Texans, already reeling from a record day of snowfall, were braced this morning for a tough commute.Throughout the region, temperatures at 5 a.m. were hovering right around freezing – but falling fast. As they dip into the high 20s by sunrise, roads, bridges, and overpasses – many of them already caked in snow – could freeze, making driving treacherous. “It is strongly encouraged not to venture out this morning unless absolutely necessary,” the National Weather Service warned.

If ice on the highways weren’t trouble enough, the Weather Service also warned that patchy fog was possible during the morning commute.People who must drive this morning should allow plenty of extra time to reach their destinations. Anyone planning to fly out of Dallas should check first on the status of flights, as many airlines were expected to delay or cancel routes. By this afternoon, temperatures will rise to the high 30s, meaning dangerous ice patches would start to thaw. The forecast for Saturday calls for sunny skies and highs in the 50s.

Snow continues to fall early today, mainly to the east of Interstate 35. In many counties east of the Dallas area, the snow was reported to be heavy. Thursday’s record snowfall – officially more than 11 inches – left tens of thousands of people throughout North Texas without electricity. Those outages, scattered throughout the region, also have knocked out traffic signals at scores of intersections. Drivers approaching those intersections were urged to use extreme caution. With very few exceptions, school districts, private schools, community colleges and universities throughout the region were closed today. The City of Dallas had already declared today as a “furlough day,” closing all nonessential city offices as a cost-saving measure.

blizzard warnings were expected to expire early Thursday. Some areas in New York, Maryland and Washington

Blizzard warnings in some areas, such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, expired late Wednesday. And other blizzard warnings were expected to expire early Thursday. Some areas in New York, Maryland and Washington, already buried under layers of snow, might still see light snow Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

Officials were still deciding early Thursday whether to open Dulles International Airport and Reagan Washington National airports, after they were shut down Wednesday.Amtrak was still providing limited service for Washington, New York and Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday, but most passenger rail service south of Washington was canceled.

The New York subway system was expected to run normally Thursday, compared with the limited service at the height of the blizzard, transit officials said.This winter is already the snowiest on record for Washington and its suburbs, as well as Baltimore, Maryland, and Wilmington, Delaware, the National Weather Service said. And it’s on track to set records in other cities, including Philadelphia and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The 55 inches of snow that have accumulated in the nation’s capital during the past two storms proved too much for some buildings. Snow was blamed for the collapse of at least 22 roofs in Washington.In central Pennsylvania, Interstate 80 near Clearfield was shutdown after two pileups — one involving 17 cars and the other involving seven cars, said Rich Kirkpatrick of the state’s Department of Transportation.One person died and another person was seriously injured, police said.

166 people were killed by snow falling off mountains in the Salang Pass north of Kabul

166 people were killed by snow falling off mountains in the Salang Pass north of Kabul, triggering a massive rescue operation. The authorities say that they expect to find more bodies as they wind down the rescue operation. The area has been hit by more than 12 avalanches since Monday. Correspondents say that it has been one of the country’s worst natural disasters. Freezing conditions The ferocity of the avalanches was so great that windows of cars and buses were smashed while some tumbled into the valley below, officials say.Many of the dead were killed as their vehicles plunged down the mountainsides, while others perished in the freezing conditions.

Rescuers are using bulldozers, pick axes and shovels in the search for survivors. The highway that winds through the mountainside remains littered with abandoned or snow-packed cars. Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said that scores more vehicles remain buried beneath massive snow floes and they could contain more bodies. “The latest information we have is that 166 people were killed and 125 others have been rescued and taken to hospital,” he told the AFP news agency. “We’re not clear yet on how many cars are still under the snow, but police have been working on recovery since yesterday and are hoping to bring the operation to an end soon.

“There is fear there will be more dead bodies in the vehicles that are being pulled out of the snow,” he said. An army battalion backed up by heavy machinery and other digging equipment had been deployed to the pass for rescue and recovery work, a senior defence ministry official said. He said that although the road has now been cleared, it remains closed to the public to allow for emergency efforts. Rescuers are searching farther afield for victims in cars, trucks and buses that were pushed far off the road, officials say.

Some 2,500 people have been rescued so far. The area is often affected by heavy snow and has been hit by avalanches in the past, the BBC’s Martin Patience says from Kabul. The road through the Salang Pass is the only major route over the Hindu Kush mountains linking southern Afghanistan to the north and Central Asia that remains open throughout the year. Reaching 3,400m (11,000 ft) at the pass, the road is one of the highest in the world. It was finished in the 1960s with Soviet help.