NEW York ordered drivers off the road and shut down schools on Monday, while residents hunkered down for a massive snowstorm hitting the United States northeast.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said in a post on X that “heavy snow is still falling” at 5:28 am local time (1028 GMT) on Monday adding that a the total snowfall stands at 14.9 inches.

According to the city’s emergency services, between nine and 11 inches of snow covered Manhattan and Brooklyn and “all non-essential vehicles are prohibited from operating on NYC Streets, Highways, and Bridges”.

Tens of millions of Americans from the US capital, Washington, to the northern state of Maine have prepared for up to two feet (60 centimetres) of snow forecast in some areas.

Snow and “freezing fog” with lows of 29F (-2C) were recorded in New York just before 6 am local time (1100 GMT), NWS said on its website.

— AFP