KTAF NEWS

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.

There have been “near impossible” travel conditions in New York, a state agency warned. More than 600,000 homes and businesses on the east coast endured power outages, with New Jersey and Massachusetts the worst hit.

Winter storm warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some warnings in place further north in parts of eastern Canada.

The snow was expected to persist throughout Monday, according to the NWS, with some areas near the north-east coastline expected to get a total of 1-2ft (30-61cm) of snow by Tuesday morning.

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.

“I’m issuing a travel ban on all non-essential driving in south-eastern Massachusetts – and reducing the speed limit on the Pike to 40mph [25km/h],” she said in an online post, referring to a major highway in the state.

“White-out conditions are making travel extremely dangerous,” she added. “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.

In Massachusetts, nearly 300,000 were without power, according to monitor PowerOutage, including 85% of customers in Barnstable County, which includes all of Cape Cod.

In New York City, a travel ban brought the city of more than eight million people to a near standstill before it was lifted at noon local time (17:00 GMT). All roads, highways and bridges were closed.

In Connecticut and New Jersey, there were concerns that falling trees and branches could lead to dangerous road conditions and more power outages.

Meanwhile people looking to travel within the US on Monday struggled.

The number of cancelled flights within, into or out of the US reached more than 5,706, according to tracker FlightAware.

The site shows that 98% of flights out of LaGuardia airport were cancelled and 91% of flights from JFK – New York City’s primary airport hubs that typically see more than 335,000 passengers daily.

Both locations had seen around 19in (48cm) of snow.

Boston’s Logan International Airport cancelled 92% of outgoing flights on Monday, while New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport cancelled 92%, and Philadelphia International Airport cut 80%.

The region will continue to reel from the snow on Tuesday, when more than 2,000 flights into or out of the US are expected to be cancelled, with Boston and New York the worst affected.