Northeastern US states brace for storm bringing up to 76cm of snow

The northeastern United States braced yesterday for a possible record-setting blizzard heading to the region that forecasters warned could drop up to 76cm of snow and bring travel to a halt.

Blizzard warnings were in effect from New Jersey to southern Maine, with Boston expected to bear the brunt. The day was expected to begin with light snow, with stronger winds and heavier snowfall by the afternoon.

Officials urged residents to stay at home, rather than risk getting stuck in deep drifts or whiteout conditions.

In New York, still not fully recovered from the effects of October's devastating Hurricane Sandy, officials said they had 1,800 Sanitation Department trucks equipped with snow ploughs ready to be deployed. Motorists, mindful of the severe disruptions after Sandy, rushed to buy fuel, leading to shortages.

Boston and surrounding communities said schools would be closed, and officials told non-essential workers to stay at home.

Officials elsewhere in the region also ordered non-essential government workers to stay at home, urged private employers to do the same, and told people to prepare for power outages and encouraged them to check on elderly or disabled neighbours.

Airlines cancelled more than 2,200 flights yesterday, according to the website FlightAware.com with the largest number of cancellations at airports in Newark, New York, Chicago and Boston.

Nearly 500 flights were cancelled for today, according to the flight-tracking site.

In Europe, British weather experts also warned of freezing weekend temperatures creating disruption to travellers throughout the country.

Up to 15cm of snow will fall in southern England and Wales tomorrow and Monday, The Weather Channel said on its website. The low in London will fall to minus 2.7 Celsius on Tuesday, CustomWeather data showed.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg