US snowstorm as it happened

Summary

New York City is closed for business due to snow
Roads, tunnels and bridges shut in the biggest city in US
More than 20 states are affected - some 85 million people
Emergencies were declared in 11 states, and at least 11 people have died
Parts of West Virginia are blanketed under 40in (102cm) of snow

Live Reporting

Tim Swift, Tom Geoghegan and Vanessa Barford

Blizzard returns to Washingtonpublished at 22:17
And that's it from our live updates from the snowstorm in the US. Thanks for staying with us.
As we sign off, snow is falling again in the nation's capital, as you'll see from the 360 below tweeted by the BBC's Sarah Holmes.
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What we know so farpublished at 22:11
Image source, getty
Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are persisting across the East Coast, with 85 million people affected and up to 3ft (90 cm) of snow dumped in some places.
Here's what's happened so far:
- At least 11 people have died, with emergencies declared in 11 states and 20 states affected.
- All non-essential travel has been banned in New York, with transport suspended. Those driving non-essential vehicles risk being arrested.
- In Washington all mass transit is to be closed until Monday.
- Tens of thousands of people are without power across New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina.
- Motorists have been stranded for hours along pockets of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
- More than 5,500 flights to, from or within the US have been cancelled this weekend.
Cars completely covered by snowpublished at 22:08
BBC Radio 5 live has been asking people for their snowbound video stories.
Here's what they got - including a street in Washington where cars are completely buried.
The pause before the next blizzardpublished at 21:49
In some parts of DC, such as outside the US Capitol, the clear up was already under way earlier, before another blizzard struck.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, AFP
Image caption,
The Capitol police needed assistance
The political snowmen have arrrivedpublished at 21:31
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Sledging on the Rocky Stepspublished at 21:30
Sledgers have taken to the Rocky Steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania.
Image source, Getty Images
Hitting the slopespublished at 21:08
For some skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts, the huge snow dump has proved too tempting to stay indoors.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
A man jumps on a snow board as snow falls in New York.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
A couple go cross country skiing in Central Park.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
A woman carries a snowboard in DC.
Scenes from snowy Baltimorepublished at 20:59
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What makes a blizzard a blizzard?published at 20:53
Image source, Getty Images
The National Weather Service defines a blizzard , externalas a storm which contains large amounts of snow or blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph (16km/h) and visibility of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours). The word used to refer to a cannon shot or a volley of musket fire, according to AccuWeather, but started to be used to describe snowstorms in the 1870s.
Pictures from the snow stormpublished at 20:42 Greenwich Mean Time 23 January 2016
Hundreds of people are sharing their pictures of #snowmageddon2016 online.
Image caption,
Two-year-old Angus Broad was nearly buried in Washington, standing 37 inches tall
Image source, Richard Glover
Image caption,
Richard Glover sent this image from Morgantown, West Virginia
Image source, University of Mary / @UMary
Image caption,
Students at University of Mary in North Dakota huddled together for a snow selfie
Snowfall totals so farpublished at 20:36
Image source, AP
Image caption,
Headstones are nearly covered by snow at Arlington National Cemetery
- Martinsburg, West Virginia: 31.9in (79cm)
- Clarksburg, Maryland: 27.2in
- Alexandria Virginia: 17in
- Washington: 16in
- Baltimore, Maryland: 16in
- Charlottesville, Virginia: 14in
- Hoboken, New Jersey: 12in
- Brooklyn, New York: 8in
Source: National Weather Service as of 17:30 GMT
The city that never sleeps...published at 20:28
...is getting mighty drowsy
Image source, PA
Image caption,
All hands on deck in Times Square
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
All roads, bridge and tunnels in the biggest US city are shut
Image source, European Photopress Agency
Image caption,
The Lincoln Center in New York is blanketed
Even the Secret Service get stuckpublished at 20:18
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The storm isn't over in Washingtonpublished at 20:13
After a lull in the early afternoon in Washington, the blizzard roared back with high winds and heavy snow. Here, a reporter for Buzzfeed filmed the scene in Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood.
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What is thundersnow?published at 20:09
There have been reports of "thundersnow" in parts of the US. For those furrowing their brows in confusion, the meteorological phenomenon is basically the same as a thunderstorm, except that snow falls instead of rain. It occurs when the atmosphere is unstable and the layer of air closest to the ground is cold enough to create snow, but still warmer than the air above it.
Read more here.
Washington ghost townpublished at 19:46
The BBC's Laura Bicker, in Washington DC, reports on the storm sweeping the US.
Flooding, not snow, in southern New Jerseypublished at 19:20
A full moon, high tide and the massive winter storm hitting the US east coast combined to cause significant flooding in southern New Jersey's seaside towns. Waves of 22ft (7m) and a storm surge of two to three feet were reported on Saturday morning.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Emergency vehicles not immuepublished at 18:37
Even a massive fire engine was no match for unploughed snow along 12th Street in northwest Washington on Saturday. At one point, the firemen used their axes as (ineffective) makeshift shovels. It took a few hours for the engine to get moving again.
Flights cancelled across the East coastpublished at 18:58
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Broadway cancelledpublished at 18:45
Image source, AFP
They say the show must go on... but not this weekend.
All matinee and evening Broadway shows on Saturday have been cancelled.
Charlotte St. Martin, the president of The Broadway League, said "normal operations to resume for tomorrow's Sunday matinees".