Storm dumps snow, cuts power

'Near-whiteout conditions' expected to hit US East Coast

The second major storm in less than a week moved up the East Coast of the United States on Thursday, dumping heavy snow and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

Some places saw more than 60 centimeters of snow by late on Wednesday, with between 20 and 30 cm of wet, heavy snow, some of it accompanied by thunder and lightning, forecast for New York City and surrounding New Jersey and Connecticut suburbs through Thursday morning.