A swathe of the US eastern seaboard is braced for an intensifying winter storm that is dumping heavy snow as it sweeps north.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and severe weather warnings are in place from Georgia to Vermont as temperatures continue to plummet.
Blizzards dropping up to 1ft (31cm) of snow are expected to hit New York and parts of New England.
South Carolina had its first Christmas snow since records began in 1887.
L/Cpl Bill Rhyne, of South Carolina Highway Patrol, said people were heeding warnings to stay off the roads.
Transport officials in Washington DC deployed 200 salting lorries, snow ploughs and other equipment to tackle the expected 6in of snow expected across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Blizzard warnings were in effect for Rhode Island and most of eastern Massachusetts including Boston. Forecasters predicted more than 1ft of snow from midday on Sunday until late afternoon.
States of emergency
Up to 18in of snow was predicted to fall on the New Jersey coast, with wind gusts of more than 40mph (64km/h).
Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina had declared states of emergency by early Sunday.
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell told The Weather Channel that snow driven by strong winds would make travel conditions hazardous.
"We're urging extreme caution in travel. Try to get home early and if you don't have to travel don't go," he said.
As conditions worsened on Sunday, Delta Airlines cancelled about 850 flights mainly from North and South Carolina up to Boston.
Continental Airlines cancelled 250 flights from Newark Liberty International Airport outside New York City.
United Airlines also cancelled dozens of Sunday flights from Newark, Philadelphia, New York's LaGuardia and JFK, Boston and other airports.
