WASHINGTON (AP) — Government offices and schools across the mid-Atlantic region closed even before the first flake of snow Tuesday, and by mid-afternoon more than half a foot of snow had piled up in parts of the area.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the entire area. The National Weather Service was predicting 4 to 8 inches of snow in the Washington area and 6 to 11 inches in parts of western Maryland and northwestern Virginia. Forecasts called for less snow along the Eastern Shore, though state offices and facilities were closing at midday in both Delaware and Maryland.