US Blizzard Dump Cuts Power To 500,000

A massive storm packing hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions has dumped up to 3ft (0.9m) of snow on the northeast of the US and knocked out power to 500,000 customers.

A state of emergency has been declared in five states and thousands of air flights have also been affected as a result of the monster storm.

The storm has been blamed for at least eight deaths in the US and Canada.

One of the victims includes an 11-year-old boy who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Boston after being overcome as he sat in a running car to keep warm while his father was shovelling snow.

The Boston Fire Department said the boy was helping his father shovel the snow on Saturday but got cold, so his father started the car and the boy sat inside.

The car exhaust pipe was covered by a snow bank, causing the fumes to collect in the vehicle.

Some of the worst of the storm appeared to hit Connecticut, where even emergency responders found themselves stuck on highways all night.

More than 28 inches of snow had fallen in parts of central Connecticut by early Saturday, and areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched over two feet or more.

Massachusetts has also prohibited vehicles from using any road in the state.

Throughout the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost electricity.

Airlines cancelled more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and New York City's three major airports and Boston's Logan Airport closed.

Numerous cars that had been abandoned on the Long Island Expressway on Friday night remained stuck on Saturday morning, trapped by ploughed snow.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Saturday morning that he had made an offer of help to neighbouring states.

"They have gotten an enormous amount of snow, and the snow continues to come down," he said.

"I think it is fair to say we were very lucky," he said.

A nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts, automatically shut down due to the snow but regulators say there is no threat to public safety.

The most intense part of the storm moved into Connecticut on Saturday morning as conditions eased around New York City.

Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy said: "This has been a record breaking storm."

According to forecasters, the storm is expected to continue to batter New England late on Saturday, with 75mph winds and a risk of up to 36 inches of snow.

The NWS also warned about the risk of flooding along the Atlantic Coast possibly affecting up to eight million residents.

Mr Bloomberg earlier advised against panic buying of food and fuel, which happened during Hurricane Sandy last year.

A little more than 11in (279mm) fell in New York.

Flights to and from Britain and other international destinations have been badly affected and airport staff advised passengers to check status with their airlines.