'Bombogenesis' snowstorm strikes US East Coast

Parts of the US East Coast have been battered by blizzard conditions and heavy snowfall, sparking transport chaos and power cuts for thousands.

Five states declared an emergency hours before piles of snow and high winds blasted the area on Saturday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that the storm had undergone bombogenesis, meaning that colder air mixed with warmer sea air, leading to a swift drop in atmospheric pressure. The process leads to a so-called bomb cyclone.