In the US, a fierce storm brought ice, heavy snow and vicious winds on its eastward path from the mid-east to the New England region. At least 16 people have been killed.

Wednesday's storm created blizzard conditions, burying cars under huge snow drifts. Nearly half a meter of snow fell in Des Moines, Iowa and with even more falling just south of Madison, Wisconsin. The 16 deaths were mostly in traffic accidents.

Classes were cancelled at hundreds of schools, and power was knocked out to thousands of people from Missouri to New York. Air travellers faced many flight cancelations. The storm was the first major blast of winter conditions in many parts of the US.