The arctic storm, which is expected to get worse tomorrow, has plunged nearly half of the US into temperatures well below freezing.
New York state has been one of the hardest hit areas, and was covered in up to six feet of snow leaving many people stranded amid the bitterly-cold weather chaos while a driving ban was enforced in some areas.
Firefighters were also spotted carrying a patient 10 blocks down the street to Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo as the blanket of snow was too thick and high to drive through.The record-low temperatures are said to be characteristic of January rather than November and are the coldest for this time of year since 1976, according to Weather Bell Analytics, a meteorologist consulting firm.
Snow is reported to have fell at a rate of up to five inches (13 cm) an hour and some areas approached the US record for 24-hour snowfall totals of 76 inches (193 cm).States bordering the Great Lakes such as North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania were also hit with chilling temperatures as low as -11 degrees Celsius during the night.
Governor Andrew Cuomo deployed the New York State National Guard to affected areas yesterday to help residents cope with the severe weather conditions with emergency operations centres activated on Monday night.
New York state has been one of the hardest hit areas, and was covered in up to six feet of snow leaving many people stranded amid the bitterly-cold weather chaos while a driving ban was enforced in some areas.
Firefighters were also spotted carrying a patient 10 blocks down the street to Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo as the blanket of snow was too thick and high to drive through.The record-low temperatures are said to be characteristic of January rather than November and are the coldest for this time of year since 1976, according to Weather Bell Analytics, a meteorologist consulting firm.
Snow is reported to have fell at a rate of up to five inches (13 cm) an hour and some areas approached the US record for 24-hour snowfall totals of 76 inches (193 cm).States bordering the Great Lakes such as North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania were also hit with chilling temperatures as low as -11 degrees Celsius during the night.
Governor Andrew Cuomo deployed the New York State National Guard to affected areas yesterday to help residents cope with the severe weather conditions with emergency operations centres activated on Monday night.