Thousands of flights were cancelled and iconic tourist spots blanketed in snow as the Big Apple was hit by a Big Freeze
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It is a whiteout in New York's iconic Times Square, which has been hit by the winter storm that has brought death and destruction to the east coast of the United States.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a winter weather emergency for the city where locals and tourists alike are making the best of the big freeze.
"This is heavy. It's heavy snow. And when it's wet it's like you can't hardly move it," said Morris Withers, as he shovelled snow in Times Square.
"I think it is a great novelty. I don't know if I would like it seasonally. I'm pretty comfortable with the warmth in Australia," said visitor from Down Under, Ebony Sugars.
Thousands of flights have been cancelled and delayed. The whiteout conditions saw planes grounded temporarily at New York City's two main airports. And many hoping to fly from Newark airport in New Jersey were disappointed.
"Our flight was cancelled and we never got any information that it was being cancelled and now we're delayed and we're not sure if we're going to be flying out of here anytime soon," said Hazel Blackmon, who should have been flying to Georgia.
The blizzard has blasted Boston where schools will remain closed on Friday. And flooding in the city has tied a 40-year record, the National Weather Service said.
The snowfall has come amid a cold snap that has gripped much of the United States for over a week now and left more than a dozen people dead.
with Reuters