US Northeast braces for winter storm Juno

A life-threatening blizzard barrelled into the US Northeast, affecting up to 20 per cent of US citizens and kept workers and students housebound, grounded thousands of flights and prompted New York to ban cars from roads and shut down subway trains, Reuters reported.

With memories of Sandy still fresh, a superstorm that devastated the East Coast in 2012, the governors of six East Coast states declared emergencies. The storm could affect around 60 million people across nearly a dozen states.

The National Weather Service warned of a "life-threatening blizzard" that could end up dumping around 30 inches (76 cm) of snow on parts of the region at rates up to four inches an hour, with winds reaching up to 55 mph (80 kph) around New York City.

According to the National Weather Service in New York, roughly 5.5 inches of snow had been recorded at Central Park, Manhattan early today with around nine inches recorded on parts of Long Island. NWS officials in Boston reported wind gusting up to 70 mph at Nantucket Memorial Airport early today.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie told residents to stay home, ordering all but the most essential government workers in his state home from Monday afternoon until Wednesday at the earliest.

Meanwhile, residents in New York City and other parts have been asked to stay indoors and avoid going outside as the potentially life-threatening blizzard Winter Storm Juno approached the US north-east, The Independent reported.

Governors in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have declared a state of emergency with the snow blast threatening to affect up to 60 million people across nearly a dozen states.

Warning of the looming storm, New York city mayor said the city was facing "one of the largest snowstorms in the history of this city".

Shops were in short supply of shovels, snowblowers, food supplies and other basics as residents prepared for a few days indoors.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has banned travel for all but emergency vehicles on roads in 13 counties, from 11pm (4am GMT), including the 6,000 miles' worth in New York City, suburban Westchester and Long Island.

Cautioning residents against contravening the driving ban, he told them: "If you are in your car and you are on any road, town, village, city, it doesn't matter, after 11 o'clock, you will technically be committing a crime.

"It could be a matter of life and death so caution is required."

He added, people found violating the ban would be fined $300.