States of emergency were declared in seven states and the District of Columbia, where 16 inches of snow was forecast to fall. Up to 18 inches of snow fell in Kansas, forcing the closure of I-70. More than 5 feet of snow was reported in western New York.

A powerful winter storm covered the East Coast Monday, leading to thousands of cancelled flights and hectic airport terminals. The weather originated in the Rocky Mountains before travelling eastward,

Bone-chilling cold and wind chills are expected, with temperatures dropping to 12 to 25 degrees below normal in some states.

A worker clears snow from a street in front of FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters) A major winter storm has brought heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic region,