A major storm hit the US east coast on Monday, bringing record-breaking snow that caused disruptions for millions and thousands of flight cancellations.
Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts have seen nearly 37in (94cm) of snowfall, with more than 19in in New York City’s Central Park, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Weather warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some in place further north in parts of eastern Canada.
More than 600 000 properties on the US east coast endured power outages, while the Boston Globe – a major US newspaper – said it will not go to print for the first time in its 153-year history due to the storm.
Travel across the region has been severely limited, with some states and cities implementing travel bans during the worst period of the storm.
The so-called “nor’easter” is forecast to move away from the US on Tuesday and across coastal parts of eastern Canada, though strong winds are expected to persist, according to the NWS.
Snow accumulations were anticipated to reach 1-2ft (30-61cm) near the north-east coastline, meanwhile.
Rhode Island, the smallest US state, appeared to have received the most snow during the storm. In fact, it has become the worst snowstorm to ever hit the state, according to local media.
Providence, the state capital, received 36in (91cm) of snow, dwarfing the existing record for the single greatest snowstorm: 28.6in (72.6cm) set in February 1978.
“It completely smashed it,” Candice Hrencecin, an NWS meteorologist in Boston, told the New York Times. “We were just as shocked as everyone else.”
A ban on non-essential travel was implemented in Rhode Island and also in neighbouring Connecticut.
Later in the day, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also imposed a travel ban.
“White-out conditions are making travel extremely dangerous,” she said in an online post. “If you get stuck, help will have a hard time reaching you… I strongly urge everyone to stay off the roads no matter where you live.”
A white-out is when snow significantly reduces visibility.
Boston resident and avid walker Bradley Jay said the storm had made him feel like a “prisoner”.
“I won’t be able to really walk around town for another ten days. So I’m stuck inside,” he told news agency Reuters. (BBC)
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