By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:12 AM on 28th January 2011
Up to 19 inches of snow fell on parts of East Coast
State of emergency called in New York City
650,000 homes and business left without power at height of storm
Thousands of airline passengers stranded as airports remain closed
Schools across the region shut for a second day
Obama's motorcade stranded for an hour in Washington
More than a foot of snow brought New York to a standstill today as it was revealed that the city has endured the snowiest January in its history.
A state of emergency was called across the city after a vast blanket of snow fell, while Washington D.C. and Boston were also brought to a standstill as most of the east coast was paralysed.
Thousands of airline passengers were left stranded and more than 650,000 homes and businesses were cut off by power cuts.
Even President Obama was caught up in the snow chaos after his motorcade was stranded for an hour in Washington.
Whiteout: A woman tries to dig out her car in Brooklyn today after a massive band of snow hit New York
Play time: A dog owner enjoys a walk in the snow in New York's upper west side after a massive blizzard brought the city to a standstill
Spade work: A car owner in New York has trouble digging out his vehicle after the heavy snowfall paralysed many parts of the east coast today
It is the latest storm to hit the area, which has already been forced to deal with above-average snowfall this winter.
In New York's Central Park, 15.3 inches had fallen while 19 inches hit parts of New Jersey, the National Weather Service reported.
Forecasters revealed today that New York is on course to be the snowiest in the city's history with a total of up to 38 inches, smashing the previous record of 27.4 inches dating back to 1925.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: 'Keep an eye on your neighbours or older New Yorkers.'
THREE-DAY WEATHER FORECAST
Tonight's forecast: Clear skies can be seen down south and on the west coast, but folks in the North East can only dream of a clear sky tonight as snow continues to fall
Little reprieve: The sun may struggle to make itself known in Boston, Detroit and St Louis but New York, Washington and Chicago can expect more misery
Bad weather throughout: By Saturday night, overcast skies and dipping temperatures can be seen nationwide - but mercifully the snow seems to be lightening up
Up to 12 inches fell in the Boston area and 14 inches in areas of Rhode Island. In the Philadelphia area, up to 17 inches of snow fell by the time the storm moved north.
In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, workers were nearly out of room to stash their ploughed snow.
'We probably have a five-storey snow dump right now,' said Portsmouth public works director David Allen. 'We could probably do a ski run.'
Forecasters say the heavy snowfall should start to taper off later today but many businesses and schools will struggle to re-open by tomorrow.
Grounded: Planes at New York's LaGuardia Airport are surrounded by heavy snow. Hundreds of flights were cancelled in the area
Stuck: A passenger sleeps on a cot at LaGuardia after scores of flights were cancelled because of the bad weather
Hazardous: A hotel doorman clears snow on New York's upper west side this morning
White House: The North Lawn in Washington is covered in snow after the fast moving winter storm hit there area
Man's best friends: Two dog walkers tentatively stroll along a frozen road with their dogs in Brooklyn today
In Massachusetts, gusts of 46 mph were reported in Hyannis, 45 mph in Rockport and 49 mph on Nantucket.
New York's three major airports, among the nation's busiest, saw more than 1,000 flights cancelled.
About 1,500 people were stuck overnight at Philadelphia International Airport, where more than 400 flights were cancelled.
At boston Logan International Airport, about 200 flights were cancelled.
Rain drenched Washington, the nation's capital for most of the day and changed to sleet before it started snowing in earnest at mid-afternoon.
The heavy snow saw traffic grind to a halt in the capital, and the President's motorcade was not immune either.
It took his fleet of armoured cars, secret service agents and police an hour to weave through the traffic after Mr Obama returned from a visit to Wisconsin.
Presidential pile-up: Barack Obama's motorcade was stuck in traffic for an hour in Washington D.C. after a snow storm caused gridlock
Tailbacks: Parts of Washington ground to a halt after up to 16 inches of snow fell on the northeast U.S.
Since December 14, snow has fallen eight times on the New York region - or an average of about once every five days.
That includes the blizzard that dropped 20 inches on New York City and paralysed travel after Christmas.
When the snows arrived yesterday, the city had already seen 36 inches of snow this season in comparison with the winter average of 21 inches.
Some commuters were left stranded on the George Washington Parkway for 12 hours after up to 16 inches of snow hit the region.
Strong winds, sleet and lightning caused havoc on the roads and triggered power cuts which affected more than 650,000 homes and businesses.
Snail mail: Postal workers dig out a truck in New York likely causing delays in the delivery of post today
Fun and games: New York University student enjoy a snow ball fight in Unions Square Park
Up in the air: Student with the day off from school cavort in the snow relishing not having any classes today
Schools in the Washington D.C. area were all shut and train services were also disrupted.
One listener described seeing scores of cars that had slid off the road or had been abandoned by the owners.
He told WTOP: 'You would move 100ft and then stop and sit for an hour.
'People were abandoning their cars in the middle of the road and leaving.'
Hot footing it: An exercise rider drives a horse through the snow at Yonkers Raceway in New York
Balancing act: A uni-cyclist goes for a spin during the snow storm which is the winter's fourth major storm so far
Take cover: A woman uses her umbrella to shelter from driving snow in Vienna, Virginia
The wintry weather was the result of two parts of a snow storm converging over the northeast of the U.S.
It resulted in up to three inches of snow falling an hour in some parts, as well as lightning and strong winds.
An aircraft approaching Lynchburg, in Virginia, was hit by lightning during the storm, but managed to land safely.
The storm was expected to move further north into Canada by this morning.
The number of power outages that have occured during the intense snow storm is the equivalent to the damage caused by Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
Crews in Virginia are assisting in restoring service to the thousands of residents and businesses in the area.
No way through: Workers clear a platform at Edison train station in New Jersey
Improvising: A delivery man resorts to using just his trolley to deliver beer in New York
Big freeze: A man waits for a bus in Queens, New York, with snow drifts piled up behind him
Many commuters had a horrific journey home last night, taking them more than 12 hours to get to their destination using the George Washington Parkway.
Danielle Heard left her Crystal City office at 4.45pm and did not make it to her destination until 5.30am.
Speaking to NBC Washington after being stuck for 10 hours Ms Heard said: 'People have begun to abandon their vehicles. When you finaly do get some movement, you're driving around them, or around people who ran out of gas'.
A gas station on the Northern Parkway in Baltimore became the 'survivor's club' when people who were stranded in the cold weather gathered there for several hours.
Travellers were jammed on the I-83 freeway for more than six hours as their cars barely inched forward.
Some drivers had to stay in one location until the streets were cleared but some roads will take over a day to clear because of downed trees and power lines.
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