Hundreds of thousands without power as US winter storm starts to wind down 

The northeastern United States is experiencing the end of a strong winter storm that caused freezing temperatures, power outages, deaths and transportation issues across the country over the weekend.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware showed about 3,800 flights were cancelled on Monday with an additional 1,000 delayed as heavy snow and freezing rain continued to blanket the northeast.

“I pray for 2ft [61cm] every time we get a snowstorm. I want as much as we can get,” New York City resident January Cotrel told The Associated Press news agency. “Let the city just shut down for a day, and it’s beautiful, and then we can get back to life.”

More than 10 deaths have been reported as a result of the storm. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five people were found dead outside over the weekend.

The website poweroutage.com reported more than 819,000 houses and businesses were without electricity across the US on Monday, most of them concentrated in the South, where the storm brought freezing rain and temperatures.

Health authorities in the Southern state of Louisiana reported that two people had died from hypothermia, and icy weather brought down power lines in Tennessee.

Flight cancellations are expected to increase throughout Monday, and more snow is forecast across the Appalachian Mountain region as the cold front moves offshore. More than 11,000 flights were cancelled on Sunday, leaving thousands of travellers in a state of uncertainty.

Heavy snow has also blanketed roads, impeding local travel and prompting warnings from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local authorities for residents to stay inside if possible.

The New York state branch of the National Weather Service said on Monday that temperatures are expected to remain below freezing throughout the week but any remaining snowfall would be light and was expected to end on Monday morning or early afternoon.