Five dead as snow wreaks havoc across US

At least five people have died in a blizzard that has ravaged the US, causing many school closures, travel disruptions and power outages.

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

More than 2,300 flights have been canceled, and nearly 9,000 delays have been reported due to the severe weather caused by the winter storm that usually circles the North Pole.

More than 200,000 people were without power Monday night across the storm’s path, according to Poweroutage.us. Snow and sleet are expected to continue across the northeastern US on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Despite the rain, the cold Arctic air is expected to keep the country cold for several weeks.

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

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

“Just for fun,” a local man told the BBC. “I’ve never had a snowball fight.”

Former US Olympic champion Clare Egan was spotted crossing the country on the National Mall, the central thoroughfare of the US capital.

He told the Associated Press that he thought “my skating days were probably behind me”, after moving to the city.

A weather emergency in Washington DC was declared until Tuesday morning because of the system, which was named Winter Storm Blair by the Weather Channel.

Children who were supposed to return to classes Monday after winter break instead enjoyed the snow as school districts closed from Maryland to Kansas.

In parts of the United States, the storm brought dangerous roads.

In Missouri, state highway officials said at least 365 people crashed Sunday, leaving dozens injured and one dead.

In nearby Kansas, one of the hardest hit areas, local news reported that two people had died in a car accident during the storm.

In Houston, Texas, a man was found dead in the cold in front of a bus stop Monday morning, authorities said.

In Virginia, where more than 300 car accidents occurred between midnight and Monday morning, officials warned residents to avoid driving in many parts of the state.

At least one driver was killed, according to local media reports.

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

Some areas near the Ohio River have turned into “skating rinks” in the cold weather, he added.

“The plows are stuck, the police are stuck, everyone is stuck – stay home,” he said.