WASHINGTON – Heavy snow and icy roads Wednesday night created hazardous condition for President Barack Obama as he returned to the White House from a trip to Wisconsin.

The wintry weather grounded Marine One, the helicopter that typically transports Obama to and from the military base where Air Force One lands. Instead, a motorcade met Obama at the base, and the line of vehicles spent an hour weaving through rush hour traffic already slowed by the storm.

It normally takes the president’s motorcade about 20 minutes to travel between the base and the White House.

The president cut short his post-State of the Union trip to Manitowoc, Wis., to try to beat the snow. But by the time Air Force One landed in suburban Maryland shortly before 5 p.m., heavy snow was falling and driving conditions had deteriorated.