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
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.

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A sign in southeast Washington welcomes visit to the nation's capital as it braces for a historic snowstorm (P. Datcher/VOA)

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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.

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The Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, where the Voice of America is headquartered, is seen through the snow (S. Hossain/VOA)

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Despite the heavy snow, people gathered to make snow angels and build snowmen in front of Washington's Union Station (P. Datcher/VOA)

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Washington's Chinatown, normally bustling on a Friday night, was nearly deserted. (P. Datcher/VOA)

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Workers at the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery worked to keep the building's steps clear of snow (P. Datcher/VOA)

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A truck plows a sidewalk in southeast Washington (S. Hossain/VOA)