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© Brian Snyder/ReutersA pedestrian peeks out from under her umbrella while trying to cross a street during a nor'easter winter snow storm in Boston, Massachusetts December 20, 2009.
The Northeast began digging out on Sunday from a massive snowstorm that buried cities from Washington to Boston under as much as two feet of snow, creating travel chaos and hampering Christmas shopping.

Nearly two feet of snow piled up in the Baltimore-Washington area on Saturday in the largest snowstorm to hit the region since February 2003, while New York City saw totals up to a foot before the monster storm churned into New England.

Boston and Cape Cod areas were expected to see as much as a foot snow before the storm moved out to sea. Areas of eastern Long Island had blizzard-like conditions and nearly two feet of precipitation.

The storm gave Washington its snowiest December on record, said Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel.

"After six winters here in Washington of sub-par (below average) snowfall ... we picked up a whole season's worth in one storm," Seidel said. The average for a season is just under 16 inches.

Washington-area airports were hit with significant delays and cancellations, as were New York's three metropolitan airports, which remained opened with only minor delays on Sunday. But airlines canceled hundreds of flights, with few planes either arriving or departing.

Washington's Reagan National airport shut down on Saturday and reopened around midday on Sunday.

The driving snowstorm, which meteorologists said was one of the biggest ever in terms of size and scope, did not stop the U.S. Senate from convening and Democrats secured the pivotal 60th vote of holdout Senator Ben Nelson needed to ensure passage of the healthcare overhaul bill by Christmas.

And the shows -- Broadway's -- went on, with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg urging residents to enjoy the city's cultural institutions and take advantage of ticket cancellations for hot shows.

"Shopper Stopper"

The storm also took a bite out of retail sales on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty declared a snow emergency and asked District of Columbia residents to keep off the streets as the U.S. capital faced what one TV station dubbed "The Shopper Stopper Storm."

Washington closed above-ground operations of its subway and stopped all bus services by early afternoon Saturday because streets were rapidly becoming impassable.

In New York, where totals ranged from about six inches in the Bronx to a foot in beach communities in Queens, Bloomberg said "the snow coming in later yesterday than forecast was a godsend for the stores," which reported only small downticks in business on Saturday.

New York subways remained running, and its public school were expected to be open on Monday.

Amtrak trains experienced cancellations, a reduced schedule and delays, with seats at a premium as holiday travelers sought alternatives when air travel was severely disrupted.

Motorists across the region were urged to stay off treacherous roads and several main arteries were closed. In Washington, drivers who ventured out often had to abandon their cars due to deep snow on streets.

At least one person died in the storm. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management said a 68-year-old woman died in a car crash in southern Virginia on Friday night.