A huge winter storm has brought heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures to the mid-west and east coast of the US
At least six people have reportedly died, including a man whose body was found outside of a bus shelter
More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled and another 23,000 delayed because of the heavy snowfall
As much as 18in (45cm) of snow has fallen in parts of Kansas, with large quantities recorded across multiple states
You can find the forecast for your area on BBC Weather
Snowstorm covers beaches and brings skiers to downtown DC
Image source, Getty ImagesMayor of Washington DC Muriel Bowser speaking back in September
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, has just posted on X to remind everyone that a cold weather emergency is still in effect.
"Temperatures are dangerously low," she warns.
She also advises people to call the DC government shelter hotline if they see neighbours in need of shelter.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Washington DC
One of my BBC colleagues was met with this snowy scene in Washington DC this morning
The snow started here in Washington DC overnight, and it's still coming down hard as the US East Coast wakes up.
Several inches have already fallen with more forecast to come. There could be up to 16 inches in some isolated parts of the region, though areas around the city itself are not likely to see quite that much - more like 6 to 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), external. Some spots may also see some sleet or freezing rain.
The winter storm warning will remain in effect until after midnight and temperatures are expected to stay at, or below, freezing all day.
The NWS has warned against non-essential travel, and many capital-area residents will choose to stay home on Monday. There were few cars out on the roads during the early hours of the morning commute, according to colleagues making their way to the BBC's Washington bureau - though most of us are working remotely today for safety.
One group not able to work from home, however, are US lawmakers, who are scheduled to certify the results of November's presidential election on Capitol Hill here in Washington today.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Sunday that the proceedings would go forward "whether we're in a blizzard or not", though federal office facilities are closed.
In Washington DC, snowfall is accumulating, with a total of 5-10 inches forecast today
Snowfall has already exceeded four inches (10cm) in some storm-affected areas on Monday morning, the US National Weather Service (NWS) reports.
In Woolsey, Virginia, 5.2in of snow was reported, while in La Plata, Maryland the figure was 4.2in.
In its latest bulletin at 07:51 GMT, the NWS warned that the storm would "produce 6-12 in of snow across the Mid-Atlantic, including the Washington, DC metro area.
"An additional 2-4 in of snow will fall across portions of the Ohio Valley and Central Appalachians, where travel disruptions will continue," the NWS added.
Image source, GettyAs we've been reporting, freezing weather is causing major flight delays in the US. At time of writing, more than 1,300 flights have been cancelled.
Here are the latest figures from FlightAware: , external
Washington DC's airports, including Ronald Reagan National Airport, have been hit particularly hard as a result of the heavy accumulation of snow:
Image source, Nasa Science Photo LibraryPolar vortex over the US east coast on 6 January
As we've just reported, parts of Washington DC could face up to 16 inches of snow accumulation as heavy snowfall continues this morning.
The winter storm is working its way eastwards across the US, with a potential major impact of snowfall on the east coast, in Washington and Maryland.
A moderate impact of snow is forecasted for parts of Virginia and West Virginia, while Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas will face a minor impact from snowfall.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn Baltimore and Washington DC, periods of heavy snow are continuing this morning, with some sleet and freezing rain forecast.
Weather alerts predict that the heavy snowfall could result in snow accumulations of 5 to 10 inches, with up to 16 inches of snow possible in isolated spots.
The National Weather Service for Baltimore-Washington, says by late morning a lull in the snow will come into place, before picking back up by the evening.
Washington DC schools have been closed this morning, as Mayor Muriel Bowser declares a snow emergency to last until the end of Tuesday.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has seen several hours of heavy snow, with at least three inches of snow accumulating at rates of around an inch per hour, according to The Washington Post., external
Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist
The Polar Vortex – winds that normally keep Arctic air locked up around the Poles – has weakened and disrupted. This has allowed very cold air to move southward across the US, as far south as Texas where temperatures today are 12 degrees below the average.
Even for Florida, the sunshine state, from Tuesday, temperatures will drop 11 degrees below the average
When cold air meets the milder air in the south, we tend to get increased moisture and weather systems developing. In this case, the weather system developed into Storm Blair which on Monday is moving north-eastward around Eastern states. With the cold air, that brings the snow, blizzards and freezing rain.
Image source, ReutersStreets covered in snow in Dayton, Ohio
Several parts of the US have been issued with Cold Weather Advisories by the National Weather Service, which means that seasonably cold air temperatures or wind chill values are expected.
The weather advisories are in place for south west and south central Alabama, southeast Missouri and northwest Florida.
There's a warning that wind chill values are expected cause temperatures as low as 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-8C). Dangerous surf, reaching up to seven feet, and life-threatening rip currents are also expected in coastal areas, including Alabama and northwest Florida beaches.
The National Weather Service for Mobile, Alabama, says in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that hypothermia is possible if precautions are not taken
People are being advised to avoid going outside if possible and dressing in layers to conserve warmth.
As we've been reporting, severe storm conditions are bringing some adverse weather effects across the US.
In Utah, heavy snowfall causes an avalanche on a mountainside, captured on video from a nearby vehicle in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Local media reported that up to five inches of snow (12.7cm) fell in the area, causing the avalanche, and stranding skiers for a while.
Avalanche on Utah mountainside
Image source, Getty ImagesIt's just turned 04.50 (09:50 GMT) on the east coast of America and the country's National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of "severe storm conditions" and "dangerously cold temperatures" in some areas.
The NWS Weather Prediction Service says the major winter storm will move from Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic throughout today. This will bring an additional 6-12 inches of snow, travel delays and dangerously cold temperatures, they say.
In Jacksonville, Florida, the weather service warns of rain and winds with gusts up to 30-40mph possible throughout later this afternoon.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, the NWS is predicting "hazardous marine and coastal conditions" with a high rip-current risk until tomorrow afternoon. Their advice is to stay out of the waters.
In Charleston, in West Virginia, the weather service says: "We are still being affected by this winter storm and although rates have come down roads are still slick and could cause dangerous travel this morning." They add that freezing rain will continue until this afternoon, when it will turn to snowfall.
In Kansas, one of the worst-hit areas, the snowfall reached 11 inches - the fourth largest on record for a singular day in Kansas City, NWS says. A blizzard warning had been in place, but this was expired late yesterday evening local time.
Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist
The heavy snow, with blizzards and freezing conditions with ice, continue to spread east on Monday morning - Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland are currently experiencing the worst conditions.
Snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30cm) are expected in these areas with strong winds, blowing snow and blizzards resulting in very poor visibilities.
South of the snow area there will be a mixture of sleet, freezing rain and damaging ice accumulations, which are expected to exceed 0.25 inches for northern Kentucky and portions of southern West Virginia.
In Washington DC, a winter storm warning is in force until 0100 EST (0600 GMT) Tuesday - 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected to fall an hour during the Monday morning commute.
Daytime temperatures remain close to freezing for most of the day.
A teacher from Kansas, one of the US states to have declared a state of emergency, has been speaking to our colleagues at Newsday about the situation there.
Aaron Schopper says his school, Mc Pherson High School in the town of McPherson, is one of 100 to be closed until at least the middle of Tuesday.
"They closed it even a day ahead of time, which is pretty rare. Usually if they go and do a closure they’ll announce it in the morning, they’ll wait to see how things are."
Heating buildings and the safety of students walking to school are factors in re-opening schools, he says, adding: "I'd be shocked if it [the closure] lasted longer, as there are usually lots of community pushback."
In addition to schools, Schopper says the medical clinic and hospitals in McPherson are also closed, except for emergencies.
Image source, Aaaron SchopperSchopper sent in a photo of his dog (top left) having a look around a very snow-covered garden
Following on from that BBC Weather forecast in our last post, the below graphic shows some of the areas where snow and freezing rain has been forecast since yesterday.
Washington DC, which is pinpointed on the map, is bracing for heavy snow and bitter cold on Monday - the same day US Congress is set to meet and formally certify Republican Donald Trump's election as president.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the weather would not prevent lawmakers from carrying out their duties, but officials have announced that federal offices in the nation's capital will be closed.
Kansas City in Missouri, also featured, has already seen some of the worst conditions. Brian Platt, an official there, last night described the current storm as "one of the most historic" the city has ever seen.
We've just been hearing from Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist at the weather app MyRadar, who says Kansas City is seeing its heaviest snow in 32 years - with more than a foot (30 to 40cm) having come down so far.
Despite it looking as though the storm is slowly moving eastwards, Cappucci says the situation in Kansas and Missouri remains serious.
He says some areas near the Ohio River are like "skating rinks", telling our colleagues on Newsday that in Missouri in particular there is concern about how many people have lost power, and will lose power, creating enough ice to pull power lines down.
Temperatures are set to drop in the next several days, in may cases dipping maybe below minus 10 to minus 15 degrees Celsius for an extended period of time.
There is a special alert for Kansas, urging people not to leave their homes: "The ploughs are getting stuck, the police are getting stuck, everybody’s getting stuck - stay home."
Image source, APBlizzard warnings have been issued in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska
Sam Hancock
Live page editor
Kansas, in the US's Midwest, is among the states that have been at the heart of Storm Blair - it's now night time there (00:28 to be exact).
While our US colleagues get some rest, we in London are taking over this live coverage, so here's a recap to get you up to speed:
João da Silva
Business reporter in Singapore
As the US reels from Storm Blair, hundreds of flights have been cancelled and thousands more delayed. There are also road closures and downed power lines in several states.
These winter storms can hurt the economy. Extreme weather can damage physical infrastructure such as roads, buildings, and vehicles. Beyond that, winter storms also interrupt normal business activity.
Power outages, road closures and travel disruptions mean businesses have to close, suspend services or operate with skeletal staffing.
All of this can lead to huge losses as seen with recent storms. A severe cold wave in many parts of the US in January 2024 cost the economy $3.6bn (£1.37bn), according to official estimates.
The year before that, a winter storm hit several states in the north-east in February, resulting in losses worth $1.8bn in the world's largest economy.
A powerful Arctic front in December 2022 had proved even costlier, with widespread disruption across the US leading to damages worth an estimated $9bn.
The costliest winter storm on record was in February 2021 - $27bn.
Sunday was forecast to be the most intense day of the storm for many of the affected states, dumping several inches of snow, cutting off roads, shutting down schools and forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights.
Here's what the day looked like:
Image source, Getty ImagesFirefighters shovel snow in front of their station in Kentucky
Image source, The Capital Journal/ReutersMotorists have been warned to stay off the roads with blizzard conditions hitting Kansas
Image source, Getty ImagesThousands of flights have been cancelled, many schools closed, and countless roads cut off
Image source, Getty ImagesLouisville in Kentucky saw more snow on Sunday than it has in almost 30 years
As the storm moves east, cities like Washington DC and Philadelphia are bracing for the snow and wind.
Philadelphia's mayor has announced the state is closing all its public schools and government offices on Monday because of the impending storm.
The city, in the state of Pennsylvania, is expecting up to 7 inches of snow (18cm) and temperatures as low as -6C (21F), according to BBC Weather., external