A massive snowstorm made seven victims in New York state on November 19 as another 3ft of snow is expected to hit parts of north-eastern US.
Weather-related deaths were also reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.
Parts of the city of Buffalo are already under 5ft of snow. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the snowstorm a “historic event”.
Freezing temperatures have continued in many parts of the US, with heavy disruption to travel.
Weather related deaths were also reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.
Residents were reported trapped in their homes and cars, and strong winds and icy roads caused motorway accidents and forced school closures in parts of the US.
More than 100 National Guard members were deployed in New York to assist in clearing roads and removing abandoned vehicles.
The National Weather Service said some places could have topped the record for a single day of snowfall, which stands at 6ft 4in.
Train services in parts of New York state were suspended on November 19, while long stretches of road near Buffalo were closed.
As well as the fatalities in New York, there were two other weather-related deaths reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.
About 20 people have died across the US since November 15.
Three firefighters in Indiana were also injured when a trailer struck a fire truck on a snow-covered road.
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New York has been hit by the season’s first big snowfall.
On November 18, three feet of snow blanketed the Buffalo area and forced the closure of a 132-mile stretch of the state Thruway.
National Weather Service meteorologist Tony Ansuini said the storm was dumping 3 to 4 inches of snow per hour.
The Thruway Authority said white-out conditions caused by wind gusts of more than 30 mph forced the closure of Interstate 90 in both directions from the Rochester area to Ripley, on the Pennsylvania border 60 miles southwest of Buffalo.
In neighboring Orchard Park, the highway superintendent called the rate of snowfall “unbelievable,” while next door in Hamburg even police cars were getting stuck in the deep snow.
The National Weather Service warned that the snow off the Great Lakes would continue at least through November 19, affecting also Interstate 81 between Syracuse and the Canadian border.
Lancaster, just east of Buffalo, reported 42 inches by 9 AM, while just to the south, in Orchard Park, there was 36 inches. But typical of lake-effect snow, areas just a few miles away, including downtown and north Buffalo, had seen just a couple of inches.
State troopers were using all-terrain vehicles to deliver blankets and other emergency supplies to motorists stranded on the Thruway overnight, said state police Capt. Ed Kennedy. It wasn’t known yet how many people were stuck in their vehicles Tuesday.
The Tug Hill region on the eastern edge of Lake Ontario, notorious for its yearly snow totals, was bracing for 2 to 3 feet of snow.
The National Weather Service said the Lake Michigan shoreline could get 6 to 16 inches of snow by November 18, while 4 to 18 inches was forecast along Lake Superior.
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