The US Northeast began to clean up after two blizzards in a week brought the region to a standstill with record snowfalls, leaving thousands without power and creating a multimillion-dollar mess.
From Washington to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, cities largely ground to a halt with governments shut down, public transport scaled back, thousands of flights cancelled and some highways closed as snow and powerful winds created whiteout conditions.
The National Weather Service said Washington's winter snowfall broke a 110-year-old record with yesterday's blizzard setting a new mark of 54.9 inches (139.4 cm). Baltimore also set a seasonal record and news reports indicated Philadelphia did too.
As the storm ebbed away into the Atlantic early today, local authorities urged residents to say at home and warned of treacherous driving conditions while ploughs redoubled their efforts to clear the roads and streets.
Emergency crews trying to restore power to tens of thousands of customers were hampered by strong winds.
Federal government agencies in the Washington area were ordered to remain closed today for a fourth straight day, a move that costs an estimated $100 million per day in lost productivity.
The United Nations in New York was closed yesterday, but Wall Street and many other businesses ploughed on, and one brokerage house, JP Morgan Chase, offered cots in conference rooms for workers if they got stuck at the office.
Reuters