Snow storm buries US northeast

United States: Three key US east coast airports were shut down Sunday and hundreds of flights cancelled at others after a blizzard swept the region early Sunday, leaving a blanket of deep snow from Boston to Washington.

More than 100,000 people from Virginia to Connecticut were without electricity, power companies said, as up to 18 inches (45 centimeters) of snow coated the region. New York's busy La Guardia airport, Newark International in New Jersey and Reagan National in Washington DC were closed, the Federal Aviation Administraion announced, as well as a number of other smaller regional airports. Other key airports were cancelling hundreds of flights, according to media reports.

A blizzard warning was issued for the metropolitan New York City area and much of the northeast by the National Weather Service. The service also gave flood warnings for the Massachusetts-Rhode Island coastline.

Visibility was very low on roads around Boston as snow continued to fall and winds blew to 35 miles per hour (56 kph) on the Massachusetts coast. But with ample warning of the storm, authorities were able to keep many main highways open across the northeast. New York, Monday AFP