Many schools and businesses have closed because of snow

Up to 1ft (30cm) of snow fell in areas of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, clogging roads and forcing businesses to close.

Earlier this week the storm covered some central states in a thick layer of ice, and was linked to some 36 deaths.

Hundreds of thousands of homes are still without electricity.

More heavy snow is forecast over the weekend in Oklahoma, the hardest-hit state, with poor weather expected to hamper relief and repair efforts.

About 500,000 homes and businesses remained without power early on Friday in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, the Associated Press reported.

Disruption

In the north-eastern US, the storm caused major disruption and there are warnings of more problems over the weekend.

WINTER WEATHER Ice storm warning - freezing rain produces significant, and possibly damaging, accumulation of ice Winter storm warning - storm producing, or is forecast to produce, heavy snow or significant ice accumulations Blizzard warning - sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 mph (56 km/h) or greater, considerable falling and/or blowing snow US National Weather Service

Schools, businesses and government agencies in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut closed early on Thursday.

Police were inundated with reports of minor accidents on roads throughout the region as people struggled to make it home while the weather closed in.

Several hundred flights were cancelled at airports in the north-east.

Since it began the storm has been blamed for the deaths of at least 36 people, most of them in road accidents.