Boston's Logan Airport closed temporarily after a snowstorm clogged runways and caused major delays, but reopened after 10:00 am (1500 GMT). Flight delays and cancellations were reported Saturday at the three New York-area airports.

New York and other major northeastern cities such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland, received a significant amount of snowfall.

The states of New Hampshire and Maine were hit with strong winds and were expected to receive more than 60 centimeters (23 inches) of snow.

At least eight deaths since Friday are blamed on the storm, all in vehicle accidents, according to local news report.

The National Weather Service said the threat of winter storms would persist through Monday across parts of northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, in north-eastern United States.

"Strong winds will continue to cause considerable blowing and drifting snow," the NWS said in a statement. "Caution is advised if travel is necessary during the late afternoon and evening."

Automobile traffic was slowed following an initial snowfall Friday as authorities cut the speed limits on many major roads -- notably in New Jersey, where speed limits on major motorways were reduced to 50 kilometers an hour (31 mph).

Many schools had already shut down early for the weekend.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, already trying to rein in the city's spending, said it would cost about one million dollars to remove just three centimeters (one inch) of snow from New York streets.

However, he said the city had 212,000 tonnes of salt ready to sweep the streets, and hundreds of snowplows were being put to work.

TERRA.WIRE