Deaths in New York as snow and ice cause havoc across the US

More than half of the United States is dealing with a massive winter storm that dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow, bringing subzero temperatures and halting air and road traffic.

These sledders in Oklahoma City are making the most of the monster winter storm that raged through half of the United States.

Resident Gil White said: "Yeah, we were here yesterday at Scissortail Park, and then seeing the kids having so much fun, we drove all the way back to Blanchard about 30 miles just to get our sled and come back and enjoy the hill here."

In Washington DC, it was snowball fights as a few dozen revellers gathered for some fun while a man and woman carried a large banner that read "ICE out for good", not referring to the weather.

And in Denton, Texas, a skier and two people catch a tow ride behind a truck.

However, for the most part, the conditions were brutal for at least 213 million Americans affected by the storm, bringing with it unusually colder weather.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least five people died as temperatures plunged before the snow arrived in earnest.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, the snow stopped but life has almost come to a standstill.

"When it snows, you're stuck. Like I think that's the biggest change for me," said Little Rock resident Jordan Naylon.

A thick blanket of snow covered downtown Philadelphia, like other cities in the US, dumping sleet, freezing rain and snow. The snow ploughs were out to clear the roads.

The storm also forced the cancellation of some 11,000 flights across the country, with more than 12,000 delayed.

In addition, widespread power outages affected many cities in the southeast of the country as heavy ice weighed on power lines, with at least 800,000 people without electricity.

Road clearing as well in Baltimore as ice and snow made for treacherous driving conditions in dozens of cities. The ice and snowfall were expected to continue over the next day, followed by very low temperatures, the National Weather Service said.

Heavy snow is forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while ice threatens the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast.