The first major winter snowstorm of this year brought chaos to the United States east coast on Monday, snarling transportation, closing schools and disrupting COVID-19 vaccination drives in the affected region. New York has declared a “state of emergency” while in Washington, President Joe Biden postponed a scheduled visit to the State Department due to the rough conditions. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued storm warnings from Virginia to Maine. Heavy snowfall was also forecast for New Jersey, Philadelphia and Connecticut. The snowfall is expected to be continued on Tuesday.

New York is bracing itself for almost two feet (60 centimetres) of snow. (Photo Credit: AFP)
More than 1,600 flights were cancelled due to the snowstorm in the US. (Photo Credit: AFP)
By 1 pm PT Monday, 13.3 inches of snow had been recorded in Central Park. (Photo Credit: AFP)
The most snowfall to have blanketed New York was 27.5 inches, over three years, in January 2016. (Photo Credit: AFP)
New Jersey issued a state of emergency, allowing authorities to close roads, evacuate homes. (Photo Credit: AFP)
The storm hit California last week and then moved to the Midwest, dumping about eight inches of snow in Chicago. (Photo Credit: AP/PTI)
Philadelphia also declared a ‘snow emergency’ on Monday. (Photo Credit: AP/PTI)