Heavy snowfall, which began on December 18, has blanketed the East Coast, dumping up nearly 1metre, disrupting public transport and air travel and cutting power supplies in many areas.   

Snowfall was so thick in Washington DC that Mayor Adrian Fenty called on residents to stay indoors.

All flights from Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport were cancelled. All runways at the two airports were filled with snow and their authorities hoped flight might resume at 06.00 local time on December 20.

Hundreds of other flights in Chicago and New York were also cancelled or delayed.

Washington closed above-ground operations of its Metrorail subway and stopped all bus services by early afternoon because streets were rapidly becoming impassable.

Heavy snowfall caused traffic accidents in Virginia, killing 3 residents, and power outage in many areas. The local administration evacuated 1,500 residents to emergency shelters.

In Ohio, two people were killed in accidents on snow-covered roads hit by the same storm system.