From BBC

Fire crew’s hose spray freezes in US winter weather

A winter storm has caused travel chaos in the north-eastern US, bringing up to two feet (60cm) of snow to some places.

Some 2,300 flights were cancelled as the storm approached, with hundreds more to be affected on Friday.

New York’s JFK airport closed for snow removal and all the city’s public schools are shut. New York and New Jersey have states of emergency.

Wind-chill temperature was set to be as low as -25C (-13F) in New York, with many road conditions treacherous.

Forecasters warned that wind gusts of up to 30mph could cause frostbite in about 30 minutes.

Coastal warnings

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “This is nothing to be trifled with. People should seriously consider staying in their homes.”

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, who has only just been sworn into office, said: “If you don’t need to go out, please don’t go out. Stay off the streets, stay out of your cars.”

Ploughs have been out more than once, New York officials said.

Temperatures are bitterly cold in New York City

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has ordered non-essential state workers to remain at home. Massachusetts and Connecticut followed suit.

Some commuter trains around New York City were on a reduced schedule, while some key roads were shut at least temporarily. City buses are running but with “system-wide delays”.

 Marci Gonzalez, ABC News, said the sea was freezing in Cohasset harbour

The New York Times said 6in of snow had fallen on Central Park by 07:00 and the temperature was the same as in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Boston too has been badly affected, with schools shut. The New York to Boston Amtrak service is on reduced schedule.

A salt storage worker was killed in Philadelphia when a 100-ft (30-metre) pile of road salt fell and crushed him.

A man was reported to be in critical condition after being pulled from Lake Michigan by firefighters.

A blizzard warning has been issued for some coastal areas, including Cape Cod, areas north and south of Boston, Long Island and parts of Maine.

The storm has stretched from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast.

Although snowfall is easing in many parts, Friday is forecast to be bitterly cold across much of the region.

Late on Thursday evening, the National Weather Service said unofficial observations had recorded 53cm of snow in Boxford, north of Boston.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25592058