Five dead as snow wreaks havoc across US

At least five people have died in a winter storm that grips vast swaths of the United States in its icy grip, leading to mass school closures, travel chaos and power outages.

Seven US states declared a state of emergency: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

More than 2,300 flights have been cancelled, and nearly 9,000 flight delays have been reported due to severe weather caused by the polar vortex of icy cold air that normally circulates around the North Pole.

According to Poweroutage.us, more than 200,000 people were without power Monday night across states in the storm’s path. Snow and sleet are expected to continue across much of the Northeastern United States on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

While the precipitation will dissipate after that, the cold Arctic air is expected to maintain icy conditions across part of the country for several more weeks.

In Washington, D.C. – where lawmakers met Monday to certify Donald Trump’s victory in the November election – about 5-9 inches (13-23 cm) of snow fell, with up to a foot recorded in parts of neighboring Maryland and Virginia.

In front of the Washington Monument, hundreds of local residents gathered at a local park for a snowball fight, a tradition now 15 years old.

“Just having fun,” one local resident told the BBC. “I’ve never had a snowball fight before.”

Former US Olympic skier Claire Egan was found cross-country skiing on the National Mall, the main thoroughfare in the US capital.

She told the Associated Press that she thought “my skating days might be behind me” after moving to the city.

A weather emergency was declared in Washington, D.C., until the early hours of Tuesday as a result of the system that the Weather Channel called Winter Storm Blair.

Children who were scheduled to return to the classroom Monday after winter break were instead enjoying a snow day with school districts from Maryland to Kansas closed.

In other parts of the United States, the winter storm brought with it dangerous road conditions.

In Missouri, the State Highway Patrol said at least 365 people were involved in a traffic accident on Sunday, injuring dozens and killing at least one person.

In nearby Kansas, one of the worst-hit states, local news reported that two people died in a car accident during the storm.

Authorities said that in Houston, Texas, a person was found dead due to cold weather in front of a bus station on Monday morning.

In Virginia, where 300 car accidents were reported between midnight and Monday morning, authorities warned local residents to avoid driving in large parts of the state.

Local media reports said that at least one motorist was killed.

Matthew Capucci, a meteorologist at the weather app MyRadar, told the BBC that Kansas City had seen its heaviest snowfall in 32 years.

He added that some areas near the Ohio River have turned into “skating rinks” in light of the extremely cold temperatures.

He said: “The plows broke down, the police broke down, and everyone is stuck. Stay in your homes.”