Straight out of 'Frozen'? Winter storm batters the US
Americans are reeling from bone-chilling temperatures. A powerful storm has spanned from coast to coast, covering the country in snow. Blizzards, power outages and temperatures drops have left 34 people dead and caused travel chaos during one of the busiest weeks of the year
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It was a cold, frigid Christmas for Americans as a relentless winter storm pummeled them with snow and a cold wave unlike any other. The snow storm, extending more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from Texas to Quebec, is affecting some 135 million people, and has already claimed 34 lives. In New Orleans, it's so cold that a fountain has frozen. AP
In New York, a blizzard left the city marooned, with emergency services unable to reach the worst-hit areas. "It is (like) going to a war zone, and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a native of Buffalo, where eight-foot (2.4-metre) snow drifts and power outages have made for life-threatening conditions. AP
A family makes their way across Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, New York after stocking up on supplies at the grocery store. Officials in Buffalo describing the dangerous conditions said there were hours-long whiteouts and bodies discovered in vehicles. AP
Rows of headstones at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery are blanketed by drifting snow in Mandan, North Dakota. AP
A shopper is surrounded by blowing snow at Ashtabula Towne Square in Ashtabula, Ohio. Winter weather is blanketing the US as a massive storm sent temperatures crashing and created whiteout conditions. AP
A pedestrian in St. Louis, warms himself on steam coming from a manhole cover near Kiener Plaza. AP
A person cross-country skis on a sidewalk in Bellingham, Washington. Heavy snow, freezing rain and sleet have disrupted flights and motorists trying to travel across the Pacific Northwest. AP
Icicles hang from ornamental plants in Plant City, Florida. Farmers are spraying their crops with sprinklers to help protect them. AP
Steam rises off of Lake Michigan as morning temperatures remain below zero with heavy winds. AP
The US National Weather Service (NWS) says more than 100 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken in the next few days. Nashville, Tennessee, has already seen its temperatures fall below zero for the first time in 26 years. AP
An American Airlines plane is de-iced as high winds whip around 7.5 inches of new snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Thousands of flights have been cancelled owing to the cold weather, leaving holiday travellers stranded. AP
A delivery truck drives through floodwaters on the Portland, Maine, waterfront during a powerful winter storm. AP