Intrepid Voice of America journalists braved strong winds and blowing snow to photograph the early hours of a massive storm that threatens to dump near-record amounts of snow on Washington.
January 2016 Snowstorm in Washington: Day 1
A sign in southeast Washington welcomes visit to the nation's capital as it braces for a historic snowstorm (P. Datcher/VOA)
Sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik finishes a sculpture honoring British physicist and writer Stephen Hawking, at Puri beach, about 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, India. The renowned physicist died Wednesday at the age of 76.
The Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, where the Voice of America is headquartered, is seen through the snow (S. Hossain/VOA)
Despite the heavy snow, people gathered to make snow angels and build snowmen in front of Washington's Union Station (P. Datcher/VOA)
Washington's Chinatown, normally bustling on a Friday night, was nearly deserted. (P. Datcher/VOA)
Workers at the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery worked to keep the building's steps clear of snow (P. Datcher/VOA)
A truck plows a sidewalk in southeast Washington (S. Hossain/VOA)