Watch in pics how snowstorm brought US to a standstill

Washington: A thick blanket of snow covered the eastern half of the US as a severe winter storm clobbered the country leading to closure of government offices in Washington and declaration of a state of emergency in three states. With Winter Storm Janus, as it is called, expected to bring up to 14 inches of snow in certain parts of country, including about 12 inches in New York, over 3,000 flights have been cancelled, including 450 that were scheduled to leave Wednesday. Washington, where even the White House took a snow day Tuesday, was expected to get at least 8 inches of snow, forecasters said. Governors in Delaware, New Jersey and New York declared states of emergency. More than 1,700 ploughs in New York were to hit the roads Tuesday night to try to clear up to 10 inches of snow. The storm stretched 1,000 miles between Kentucky and Massachusetts but hit especially hard along the heavily populated areas between Philadelphia and Boston, creating perilous rides home for millions of motorists, according to CBS News. Watch in pics how snowstorm brought US to a standstill: Pedestrians make their way through a snowfall in New York's Times Square A storm is sweeping across the Mid-Atlantic and New England The National Weather Service said the storm could bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to Philadelphia and New York City, and more than a foot in Boston Early snowfall blankets ongoing construction of a platform for a twin tower hi-rise project, covering the Penn Station rail tracks in New York By Tuesday evening, parts of New Jersey and Long Island already had 9 inches, while Central Park and parts of Connecticut and Westchester County had more than 7 inches. A dogsled team pulls passengers on a scenic ride across Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, N.Y. The storm put a damper on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's inauguration, forcing the cancellation of an evening party on Ellis Island, CBS said. Schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky stayed closed for an extra day after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday or sent students home early. A small but intense snowstorm is dumping up to 10 inches of snow in metropolitan Chicago as moisture over Lake Michigan mixes with frigid air. Winter storm warnings and watches were in effect for all or part of 13 states from the mid-Atlantic to New England, CNN reported. There was a blizzard warning for Cape Cod, Massachusetts.