Another winter storm slams the US

An intense and fast moving winter storm has brought more heavy snow to eastern Canada, the mid-Atlantic and northeastern US. Some areas have seen around 45cm of snow, grounding thousands of flights, closing government offices and causing widespread disruption on the roads and railways.

The storm stretched around 1,600km between Kentucky and Massachusetts. New Jersey recorded 39cm of snow, Philadelphia had 30cm and New York City notched up 25cm.

Highways in and around the New York City Metropolitan area were brought to a standstill. Elsewhere, a blizzard warning was issued for Massachusetts, including Cape Cod.

Federal workers in Washington DC were advised to stay at home as the general public were advised to not travel unless absolutely necessary. Government offices along with dozens of city schools were also shut in the process, giving an extra day off following the Martin Luther King holiday.

Cold air is now following the snow, with temperatures expected to stay below freezing over the next few days as a bitter Arctic wind blows in from Canada. This latest wintry blast is not as intense as the one that struck a similar area two weeks ago, but it is no more welcome.

Temperatures in New York will struggle to get anywhere near freezing before the start of next week, with the possibility of snow flurries over the weekend. This second cold blast is sapping fuel supplies across many regions and is sending prices for propane and natural gas to record highs.