A massive snowstorm ravaged the eastern United States early Monday, snapping power lines, closing schools and snarling the morning commute amid freezing temperatures from Maryland to Maine.
More than one foot (30 centimeters) of snow was possible in some northern states, the National Weather Service said as the winter storm began to unleash its furor on the upper portion of the country late Sunday.
New York City residents stocked up on groceries while city officials deployed extra snowplows and salt trucks to fend off the snow piles, which were expected to hit a height of up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) by daybreak.
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"It's the first of March, which you know is the month that we say comes in like a lion and out like a lamb," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters.
Sanitation commissioner John Doherty warned that the city should expect "the largest snowstorm we've seen in this year" and predicted "a difficult morning for public transportation," according to NY1 television.
