Five dead as snow wreaks havoc across US

At least five people have died as a winter storm grips parts of the US in its icy grip, causing mass school closures, travel chaos and power outages.

Seven US states have declared states of emergency: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas.

More than 2,300 flights were canceled and nearly 9,000 delays were reported due to the extreme weather caused by the polar vortex of freezing air that normally circles the North Pole.

More than 200,000 people were without power Monday night in states in the storm's path, according to Poweroutage.us. Snow and sleet are expected to continue across much of the northeastern US on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

While the precipitation will then dissipate, cold arctic air is expected to keep icy conditions across parts of the country for several more weeks.

In Washington – where lawmakers met on Monday to certify Donald Trump's victory in November's election – about 5-9 inches (13-23 cm) of snow fell, with up to a foot recorded in parts of nearby Maryland and Virginia.

In front of the Washington Monument, hundreds of local residents gathered at a local park for a snowball fight, now a 15-year tradition.

“I'm just having fun,” a local resident told the BBC. “I've never had a snowball fight before.”

Former US Olympic skier Claire Egan was spotted skiing on the National Mall, the main street of the US capital.

She told The Associated Press that she thought “my skiing days might be behind me” after moving to the city.

A weather emergency has been declared for Washington through the early hours of Tuesday as a result of the system, dubbed Winter Storm Blair by the Weather Channel.

Children who were supposed to return to classes Monday after winter break instead enjoyed a snow day as school districts were closed from Maryland to Kansas.

In other parts of the US, the winter storm brought dangerous road conditions with it.

In Missouri, the state highway patrol said at least 365 people crashed Sunday, leaving dozens injured and at least one dead.

In nearby Kansas, one of the worst-hit states, local news reported that two people had died in a car crash during the storm.

In Houston, Texas, a man was found dead from the cold outside a bus stop Monday morning, authorities said.

In Virginia, where 300 car crashes were reported between midnight and Monday morning, authorities warned residents to avoid driving in large parts of the state.

At least one driver was killed, according to local media reports.

Matthew Cappucci, senior meteorologist at weather app MyRadar, told the BBC that Kansas City had seen its heaviest snowfall in 32 years.

Some areas near the Ohio River have become “slides” in the cold temperatures, he added.

“The plows are stuck, the police are stuck, everyone is stuck – stay at home,” he said.