After blizzard, snowed-in East Coast prepares to dig out

A mammoth blizzard that set single-day snowfall records in Washington and New York City gave way Sunday to brilliant sunshine and gently rising temperatures, enabling millions to dig out and enjoy the winter.

Thousands of flights were scrubbed and train lines in Philadelphia were also badly hit as whiteout conditions – virtually zero visibility – had been reported in some areas.

NY and Baltimore began lifting travel restrictions and hearty souls ventured out on snow-choked streets Sunday, while mass transit systems up and down the coast gradually restored service. At least 18 deaths were blamed on the weather, resulting from vehicle crashes, shovelling snow and hypothermia. “People want to start to go outside and start shoveling and clearing their walks and driveways”, said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender who left the campaign trail to oversee the emergency response in his state.

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Another carbon monoxide death was reported in Pennsylvania, where officials said a man was sitting in his running vehicle when a passing snow plow deluged his auto, blocking the tailpipe and preventing him from getting out. More than 10,000 flights has been canceled since Friday, the Weather Channel said, and many more flights were canceled ahead of Monday.

In addition to snow and wind, the National Weather Service predicted up to half an inch of ice for the Carolinas and potentially serious coastal flooding for the mid-Atlantic region.

“The snow pile is going to be with us for a while, but I think we’ll be in good shape in the next 24 hours”, he said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopolous“.

A travel ban for the NY area was lifted on Sunday but Washington was still at a standstill after a blizzard paralyzed the northeastern United States, killing at least 19 people.

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Weather forecasters fear Storm Jonas is now heading across the Atlantic, triggering severe weather warnings by the UK’s Met Office for much of Wales, north-west England and the West of Scotland.

“Either way, we’re looking at a significant event”, said NWS meteorologist Frank Pereira.

Major public services have already been shut down at Washington including The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which includes the second-busiest USA subway system.

The record high of 28 inches (71.1 cm) of snow in Washington was set in 1922 and the biggest recent snowfall was 17.8 inches (45.2) in 2010.

Parts of the nation’s capital were shrouded in 30in (76.2cm) of the stuff.

Although the airport hoped to resume flights as early as Sunday, Flannery insisted this “will be among one of the deepest snow storms we’ve ever seen“.

An otherworldly quiet descended on the usually bustling city of 8.5 million, the most populous in the United States.

The massive winter storm that slammed much of eastern US dumping more than 90 cm of snow on several Mid-Atlantic states, continues to track offshore.

“I knew people would be cooped up in their houses and wanting to come outside”, he said as he was beaned by multiple blasts of perfectly soft but firm snow.

In Silver Spring, Maryland, where about 20in of snow had fallen, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

Crews had cleared many major thoroughfares in the hardest hit areas and travel bans were being lifted.

Stranded travellers included Defence Secretary Ash Carter, whose high-tech aircraft, the Doomsday Plane, couldn’t land at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland after returning from Europe. Carter was rerouted to Tampa, Florida, where he planned to wait for better weather.