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Cities near the Great Lakes such as Buffalo have been worst affected
Another 3ft (1m) of snow is expected to hit upstate New York after a massive snowstorm that left at least seven dead on Wednesday.
Parts of the city of Buffalo are already under 5ft (1.5m) of snow.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the snowstorm a “historic event” that would break records.
Freezing temperatures have continued across all 50 US states, including Florida and Hawaii, with heavy disruption to travel.
Weather related deaths were also reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.
John Jiloty of East Aurora near Buffalo told the BBC that some people had been stuck in their cars for a day and a half.
“I’m lucky to not be in some of the worst of it where there’s six feet of snow literally 15 minutes away from where I am,” he said.
“We have maybe four feet of snow so a couple more coming tonight and we’ll see how we do”.
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.
James Grimaldi in Buffalo: “Right now I literally cannot go anywhere”
BBC Weather explains ‘lake effect’ snow
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 4ins (1.93m).
Several sports games were called off as snow covered stadiums across the northern US
Hundreds of vehicles remain stranded
Train services in parts of New York state was suspended on Wednesday, while long stretches of highway 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 Saturday.
“We are talking about a very dangerous storm”
Three firefighters in Indiana were also injured when a trailer struck a fire truck on a snow-covered roadway.
The State University of New York Buffalo cancelled a football game due to the weather.
BBC