Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Freezing temperatures are expected to persist across much of the eastern United States as a large winter storm continues to move across the country.

At least 20 deaths have been linked to the cold temperatures and heavy snowfall, although in some cases officials say it is too early to determine the cause.

Millions continue to be asked to stay at home, with schools shuttered, travel severely disrupted, and hundreds of thousands left without power - although the disruption has lessened since the weekend in most places.

Kentucky Governor Andrew Beshear said the storm system had largely moved on from his state, but warned "we are not in the clear yet".

A number of other states are also expected to continue to be hit by a "deep freeze", the National Weather Service says. "Frigid temperatures will impact the eastern two-thirds of the US this week, and numerous record lows are forecast."

In most places, the storm's snowfall will continue to ease, and is forecast to be mainly confined to the far east of Canada by Tuesday.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from New York

A bit of sunshine has broken through here in Manhattan now - though the Hudson River remains partially frozen over.

Across the five boroughs, pedestrians are walking through slush and snow banks.

Earlier, the mayor requested to stay off the roads on Monday as a massive clean-up operation took place.

The mayor's office also just announced that NYC schools will return to in-person learning on Tuesday after a day of remote instruction on Monday.

Officials say it's unlikely the snow will melt anytime soon and that frigid conditions are likely to last at least through the week.

The National Weather Service says that "potential is increasing for another significant winter storm to impact the eastern United States this coming weekend".

In a post on X, the weather service adds that at this stage it is "too early to know the details". They add they will provide updates throughout the week.

It's not yet clear if this predicted storm will bring the same levels of snowfall we have seen in the past few days.

City Hall confirms to the BBC's official US partner, CBS News, that eight people died in New York over the weekend.

Though, they add it is too early to blame the cold weather.

This brings the total number of deaths linked to the snow storm to 20.

An official tells CBS that six people were found overnight Friday, one was found overnight Saturday and another person was found overnight Sunday.

The NYPD said it was investigating seven of the deaths.

In a statement, City Hall said: "We can confirm that several of these individuals have had contact with [homeless] shelter and/or street outreach services in the past."

Image source, Getty Images

Residents in areas affected by the winter storm are still being advised to avoid driving if at all possible. However, the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTA) has published some tips on how to stay safe should taking your car be unavoidable. Here's a quick look at some of their advice:

The basics:

Slow down, the NHTA says. "On the road, increase your following distance enough so that you’ll have plenty of time to stop for vehicles ahead of you."

What to do in an emergency:

If you doneed to stop, "stay focused on yourself and your passengers, your car, and your surroundings," the NHTA advises. It also recommends you stay with your car, let your car be seen and be mindful of carbon monoxide poisoning.

What to do before you head out:

If you do have to drive anywhere in this extreme weather, the NHTA says you should stock up your vehicle with snow shovelling equipment, a first aid kit and a phone charger. You should also plan your route and keep your vehicle as full of fuel as you possibly can.

You can familiarise yourself with all of the National Highway Traffic Administration's safety guidance for driving in the snow here. , external

The BBC's official US partner, CBS News, has the latest total snowfall figures across parts of the US. Here's a round-up:

• More than 35.5cm (14 inches) in parts of Missouri and Illinois
• Almost 60.9cm (24 inches) accumulated in the Ohio Valley region
• Totals of 55.8cm (22 inches) of snow have been recorded in parts of Massachusetts and New York's Hudson Valley
• Boston saw around 50cm (20 inches) of snow

Image source, Reuters

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says in her latest update that "it's not over yet", and one to five inches of snowfall is expected today.

That's on top of the one to two feet the state has already had, she says.

Travel conditions remain "challenging", she says, asking people to stay off the roads and stay home if they can.

Overall, she says the state has had very few power cuts and the grid has held up.

Wind chills are "still really, really strong" and officials are "worried about frostbite", she says, saying people should make sure they dress warmly and check in on their neighbours.

She adds towards the end of her remarks: "We were ready, our teams were ready, and our state was ready."

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Rory Doyle/ Roger Stolle

"The roads are icy, it's too dangerous to drive", says Roger Stolle in Clarksdale, Mississippi. "Everything is frozen out there."

Stolle helps organise a blues night in the town and runs a shop selling "everything blues-related."

"My car is stuck in the snow," he says, "but our pledge is that there will be one live blues concert in this town every single night of the year."

He tells me they won't miss one, despite the snow and icy conditions.

He doesn't expect many people to turn up tonight, but it's still on. "If people are trapped here, they can walk."

Last night, a trio played a gig at one of the venues in the town. The guitarist, drummer and bass player all lugged their musical instruments through the snow. "They somehow got here," he says.

Image source, Robyn Tannehill

Over in Mississippi, 153,177 people are still without power - thousands of whom live in the city of Oxford.

Mayor Robyn Tannehill says teams are working as quickly as possible to restore power and clear the roads, with reinforcements on the way.

"I know people are frustrated and cold," she says.

The roads are still dangerous. Hills and highway ramps are really in "bad shape - don't let the sunshine give false sense of security about the condition of the roads", she adds.

"The bitter cold last night did us no favours," she says, and urges those in need to attend a local warming shelter.

She says the current focus is on helping the elderly with transport to the shelter.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Joy Flores

I've spoken to Joy Flores, vice president of a homeless shelter in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Nashville Rescue Mission is currently housing more than 800 homeless people, she says, some of whom are sleeping in extra cots in its chapel.

Flores says its also taken calls from people who have lost power asking if they can stay. She adds that other emergency daytime "warming centres" have been set up in the city.

She's also one of the more than 247,000 in Tennessee without power. With four teenagers at home - and "no heating, no internet, no coffee" - it's tough.

She says the roads are so icy it's impossible to move, and even four-wheel drive cars are "slipping around the roads".

"There are many trees down and power lines blocking the roads."

Some 778,492 energy customers are still without power across the United States, according to a snapshot of the latest figures from poweroutage.us, external.

The worst affected state is Tennessee, where 247,300 are without power. Here's a look at the numbers elsewhere:

• Mississippi: 153,620
• Louisiana: 121,401
• Texas: 62,375
• Kentucky: 44,274
• South Carolina: 36,359
• Georgia: 27,610
• Virginia: 20,940

Image source, Getty Images

New York's sanitation department is telling property owners they must shovel snow from the pavements outside or face fines.

The department says paths at least 4ft (1.2m) wide must be cleared to allow pedestrians to pass. Snow and ice must also be cleared from around fire hydrants, ramps and curbs.

From 12:30 EST (17:30 GMT), it says a $250 (£182) fine may be issued if the following orders are not met:

• Snowfall ends between 07:00 and 16:59 - clear within four hours
• Snowfall ends between 17:00 and 20:59 - clear within 14 hours
• Snowfall ends between 21:00 and 06:59 - clear by 11:00

As we've just reported, the governor of Kentucky has warned about the risk of frostbite and hypothermia as the dangerously cold weather continues.

Hypothermia is when your body shuts down after reaching an abnormally low temperature.

Whereas frostbite is most common on extremities such as fingers and toes, but can affect eyelashes too.

"Frostbite is deep tissue damage, so you freeze all your flesh," says Mike Dinn of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), "and effectively those digits, toes just die and the only recourse is medical intervention".

The time for action is at an earlier stage called frostnip before the transition into frostbite, he adds.

Frostnip can happen in a matter of a few minutes, turning your skin white and waxy. Common areas are on your hands and cheeks, which you may not see yourself, so it is important to have someone check you, and for you to check them.

Image source, Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Kentucky Governor Andrew Beshear has given an update, warning tomorrow will be "dangerously cold" and assistance has been sought from other states to return power to areas hit by outages.

The storm system has moved on but "we are not in the clear yet", he says, adding some roads are still impassable.

"Tomorrow morning is going to be the worst. It is going to be dangerously cold. Tomorrow morning, being outside for just 10 to 30 minutes could result in hypothermia or frostbite, so we need everyone to take precautions," he says.

Around 47,000 properties are still without power, down from 73,000 at the height of the disruption, he says.

Warming centres have been set up and additional crews have been brought in from other states to get the power back on as quickly as possible, he adds.

"We're taking this seriously and we're throwing every resource we have at it," he says.

James Kelly
UGC Hub

Image source, Oliver Cauquil

"It's a gorgeous scene but Columbus has ground to a halt," Oliver Cauquil says.

The 50-year-old lives in London but is in the Ohio state capital working as a translator on a football course organised by Major League Soccer.

"We ventured out for a walk yesterday and saw a few buses stuck in the snow and apart from a few tourists from Florida, there weren’t many people out and about," he says.

The training facilities they were supposed to be using for the course are closed today.

"Most businesses already had signs up on Saturday indicating their closure at least on Sunday and possibly into Tuesday," he says.

Although James describes the current atmosphere in the city as "beautiful and pleasant if you’re in the safety of the city centre and a large hotel," he says hoping to be able to back to London for the weekend.

"I’d rather celebrate my birthday with my family than stuck in this arctic foreign land," he laughs.

Want to share your story? Get in touch.

Image source, Reuters

Turning our attention away from New York now, we can bring you an update from the US transport secretary:

US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy tells CNBC "there is a lot of ice" in the south and south west of the US, adding that there is anywhere from half an inch to an inch of ice in some areas.

"Half an inch of ice will add 500 pounds onto a power wire, so we have a million people without power." Earlier, poweroutage.us said more than 800,000 were impacted by power outages.

Describing Monday as "dig out day" - where snow ploughs are out on the road, Duffy says the Department of Transport is "hoping by midweek we'll be back to normal."

When asked if he has a message for those currently without power, Duffy says workers were deployed early in anticipation of the storm, but it's "slow and steady work to get everyone back online."

"This storm is unique," he continues. "You get the ice, you get the snow and on top of that we have a cold weather snap which makes it more challenging."

While the freezing conditions have been causing widespread disruption across a large swathe of the eastern and south eastern United States, some have taken the chance to showcase their skills in the snow.

Among them is five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medallist Shaun White:

Image source, Reuters

In New York City, mayor Zohran Mamdani is giving an update, saying the "worst is behind us" but that there is more to be done.

"Just because the storm has passed does not mean that the danger to homeless New Yorkers has passed," he says, adding "this is an all-hands-on- deck effort."

A hazardous travel advisory remains in effect, he says, asking residents to continue to stay off the roads as much as possible today.

"Our city is steadily coming back online," he says, adding the goal is for the city tomorrow to be "back to normal, albeit with a lot of snow piled up".