Actual reasons to panic...

According to the Post, 2 inches snow/hour + rush hour=bad news.

Maryland in Full Snow Panic Mode

Maryland State Police said this afternoon that a trooper who stopped to help motorists is also stranded after a snow plow pushed a load of snow onto them.

Abandon All Hope

The Washington Post's Redskins Insider (Cindy Boren) just tweeted:

Oh! Oh! Channel 4 just made the first mention of people abandoning their cars on the Beltway!!!

Beltway Cam

Thanks to this link from the State of Maryland, you can watch people try to drive on the Beltway in the snow. It's strangely compelling, especially when someone stops and starts in the middle of the road.