US east coast bracing for 60cm of snow after powerful nor'easter storm

More than 6,000 flights have been cancelled across the region as a state of emergency is declared

A person snowboards while being pulled by a pick-up truck in Providence, Rhode Island. The north-eastern US was hit by a winter storm on Saturday that threatened to drop more than 60cm of snow. AP

Snowflakes sit on the eyelash of resident Chris Andrade as he clears snow from a pavement in Providence. AP

Resident Mike Ratcliffe shovels snow from his driveway in Providence. AP

Mr Andrade clears snow from the pavement. AP

A snow plough clears snow during a blizzard in Boston, Massachusetts. Bloomberg

A state of emergency was introduced across the US north-eastern region owing to the snowfall. AP

Snow covers rental bikes in Manhattan after a powerful nor'easter storm hit the region in New York City. Reuters

A skier launches from a ramp in Boston Common, Boston. AP

Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston, where the heaviest snow was expected late on Saturday. AP

People walk on State Street, in Boston. AP

Snow outside Faneuil Hall, in Boston. The storm prompted airlines to cancel about 6,000 flights at the weekend. AP

People enjoy snow at New York's Central Park. Reuters

A person walks on Beacon Street during heavy snow, in Boston. AP

People go sledding in Prospect Park, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. AFP

New York was bracing for another 30cm of snow. AFP

The north-eastern US was hit by a winter storm on Saturday that threatened to drop more than 60 centimetres of snow, resulting in a state of emergency being introduced across the region.

The weather phenomenon — known as a nor'easter — blanketed a large area of New England with heavy snowfall. With the storm continuing, some coastal areas of New Jersey already recorded 38cm of accumulation while Long Island, New York braced for another 30cm of snow.

"It's high winds, heavy snow, blizzard conditions — all the elements of a classic nor'easter," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a news briefing, warning of frigid temperatures overnight. "This could be life-threatening."

Several states along the north-east coast declared emergencies in response to the storm, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Carolinas and was forecast to continue depositing snow through Saturday evening as it moved north.

"It's really these coastal areas that are going to be most impacted," said National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard, adding that powerful winds could cause minor to moderate flooding in communities close to the shore.

The storm prompted airlines to cancel about 6,000 flights through the weekend.

Amtrak had to halt its passenger rail service across much of the region and the main commuter line for Long Island suspended operations for at least one full day.

So far power outages were limited in most of the affected states with the exception of Massachusetts, where 114,000 out of 2.6 million customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.

Speaking with reporters at around noon on Saturday, Mr Hochul said the storm had not progressed as quickly as forecast, pushing back the state's timetable for cleaning up.

"This storm lingered," Mr Hochul said.

The weather may have contributed to the death of an elderly woman, whose body was found early on Saturday morning in a hotel car park in Uniondale with her car window open, said an officer at the Nassau County Police Department in Long Island.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for the Boston metropolitan area and its nearly 4.9 million residents, predicting "whiteout conditions" and damaging winds.

Forecasters said more than 60cm of snow could fall in some areas with wind gusts of 113 kilometres per hour. Southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the island of Martha's Vineyard, were expected to get the highest snow totals.

The storm hit nearly 44 years to the day after a monstrous blizzard brought New England to a standstill in 1978. Dumping more than 70cm of snow on Boston, that storm killed dozens of people, trapped others in their homes and shut down major highways for a week.

"This storm is looking like it could be one for the record books," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a CBS TV interview on Saturday. "We are not only expecting a whole lot of snow, but it is going to come down really quick in the most intense hours."