Emma Simpson: The storms have brought chaos for many travellers

Seven people were also reported dead in Ontario, Canada, as the storm arced north. By early Monday the storm was over the north-eastern US, moving towards the Atlantic.

Chicago was buried under nearly two feet of snow in 24 hours over the weekend - making it the second-heaviest snowstorm in the city's history.

Motorists were stranded in snowdrifts

The blizzard also dumped snow on Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Many of the deaths were caused by heart attacks brought on by shoveling snow.

In Pennsylvania, a handicapped man froze to death in his wheelchair while trying to get home from a New Year's Eve party.

Others were killed in car smashes - including a 60-vehicle pile-up in Wisconsin - as the ice turned roads into death traps.

High winds and even tornadoes in some areas, have sent temperatures plummeting to as low as -28C.

Thousands sleeping at airports

The storms also wreaked havoc at airports across the region on one of the busiest days in the year as nearly two million people struggled to return home at the end of the holiday season.

Arctic sea mist engulfs a ferry en route to Portland, Maine

Thousands of passengers ended up sleeping at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after United Airlines and American Airlines canceled more than half their flights.

O'Hare, the world's busiest airport, was scheduled to handle 240,000 passengers on Sunday alone.

The story was the same at Detroit where airport staff were forced to borrow blankets and pillows from Wayne County jail to distribute to stranded passengers.

Power cuts

More than 450,000 homes and businesses across the eastern half of the country also lost electricity during the storm.

Freezing rain cut power for almost a quarter of a million customers across South Carolina where electricity may not be fully restored until Tuesday.

Another 100,000 people were stranded without electricity in Arkansas when rain froze on the power-lines, causing them to collapse.

Chicago residents spent much of Sunday shoveling snow - up to waist deep in places - in temperatures hovering around -10C

Some 700 snow-removal vehicles criss-crossed the city spreading 300,000 tonnes of salt on the streets.

Schools in many cities, including Chicago, will remain closed for Monday.

However forecasters say that the worst may be over - with the snow turning into sleet and rain as it moves east.