A blizzard lashed the US east coast for the second time in less than a week, wreaking havoc from Washington to New York by forcing government agencies, the United Nations and schools to close.
Some northeastern cities ground to a halt as heavy snow and powerful winds created whiteout conditions.
The city of Baltimore ordered all vehicles off the streets except for emergency personnel, Pennsylvania closed several interstate highways and New Jersey declared a state of emergency in many counties.
Hundreds of flights were canceled and airlines relaxed ticket policies to allow passengers to change their plans without penalty, moves that could cloud the outlook for an industry already hard hit by the battered economy.
The United Nations closed its New York headquarters today due to the storm.
US government offices in Washington were also closed for the third straight day, at a cost of some $100 million in lost productivity per day.
President Barack Obama had just one item listed on his public agenda, and met at the White House with U.S. black leaders to discuss jobs and the economy.
The US House of Representatives canceled votes for the week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate would not be in session on Wednesday but would resume work on Thursday. He said he doubted the Senate would have any votes this week.
Many congressional hearings were also called off.
In New York the storm was due to worsen later today. Some companies were allowing employees to leave early and many people worked from home. The busy Metro-North train line between New York and Connecticut said there were almost 40 per cent fewer passengers than usual on Wednesday morning.
The New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ, which put some key personnel in hotels on Tuesday night ahead of the storm, said they planned regular sessions on Wednesday. JP Morgan Chase was making cots available in its New York offices for workers who were unable to make it home.
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said the storm was likely to cost taxpayers $1 million for every inch that fell.
Amtrak passenger rail service warned of limited service along its lucrative Northeast corridor. All flights in and out of Washington's two major airports were canceled.
Among the flights canceled were US Airways' shuttle service between New York, Boston and Washington.
State offices in five major Pennsylvania cities were ordered closed, and New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts government offices were shut down, with only emergency and essential personnel required to report for duty.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake upgraded the snow emergency in her city to ban all vehicles from the streets except emergency vehicles.
The storm, which has been dubbed 'Snoverkill' and 'Snowmageddon 2.0', packed strong winds that could cause additional power outages in a region already reeling from a major weekend snowstorm.
Almost 25,000 customers were without power in the Baltimore and Washington areas, according to electric companies, Pepco, Dominion and Constellation Energy Group's BG&;E.
The storm comes as residents were still trying to dig out from weekend snowfalls of 18 (46 cm) to 32 inches (81 cm) from Washington to southern New Jersey. Some struggled to restock refrigerators and clear fallen trees ahead of the new storm.
Schools were closed across much of the region, and many canceled classes for the rest of the week.
The bus system in the Washington area said it would not operate on Wednesday. The metropolitan area's subway was only operating the underground section of its system.
Reuters