‘Bomb cyclone’ batters eastern US

Blinding snow whipped up by powerful winds pummeled the eastern United States into yesterday's early hours, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered transport chaos and power outages across a region of some 70 million people.

Major cities such as New York and Boston bore the brunt of the blizzard, which the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed had intensified into a "bomb cyclone" -- characterized by the explosive power of rapid drops in atmospheric pressure.

The heaviest-hit parts of New York and Massachusetts received two feet of snow by early evening, with more than 95,000 homes in Massachusetts reported without power. Snowfall in Boston equaled the one-day record of 23.6 inches set in 2003, the NWS said.

The towns of Islip, New York, and Warren, Rhode Island, were similarly blanketed. Cold weather stretched as far south as Florida. Residents in towns and cities across the eastern seaboard were urged to avoid all unnecessary travel for a second night of whiteout conditions, with additional snowfall expected to be heaviest across New England.