The US Capitol towers over the snow-covered Mall after a winter storm over the capital region on January 3, 2022 in Washington, DC. - After a bruising holiday week of flight cancellations and record surges in Covid-19 cases, a powerful winter storm Monday further snarled US transport and shuttered the federal government and schools. A winter storm hammered the capital and other parts of the mid-Atlantic, with official forecasts of five to 10 inches (12.7 to 25.4 centimeters) of snow in Washington. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP) (Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images)

The nation's capital, often a backdrop for partisan bickering, became a winter wonderland Monday as a winter storm battered much of the Mid-Atlantic region.

Parts of the Washington metro area saw anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow.

Schools and government offices closed.

The president's helicopter was grounded and he had to take a motorcade to the White House from Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland. It took nearly an hour.

(MORE: Winter Storm Slams Southeast, Mid-Atlantic)

Andrea Klein, 23, a Georgetown University graduate student, was snapping photos on the National Mall. She had spent the past two weeks in quarantine when one of her roommates tested positive for COVID-19. She told the Associated Press she welcomed the snow.

“Things have been feeling a bit stressful in the world lately so to walk around in the snow with friends is a nice return to normalcy,” she said.

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