A major storm system that blanketed a large swathe of the central and eastern United States in snow and ice -- disrupting travel for millions and contributing to at least five deaths -- was headed offshore Monday night,

While the snowstorm caused headaches for some from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, it was pure joy for the new pandas at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

The first major winter storm of the new year barreled into the U.S. mid-Atlantic states on Monday, closing down federal offices and public schools in Washington, D.C., after dumping a foot of snow in parts of the Ohio Valley and Central Plains.