Winter storm moves from southern US to north-east

New Yorkers were warned to expect tough commutes on Wednesday

A winter storm that pummelled southern US states in the last few days has now hit the New York region, causing travel disruption in the air and on the roads.

Eight inches of snow fell on Central Park in New York City and up to a foot fell in New Jersey and Connecticut.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled and commuters faced major disruption to road and rail services.

At least 11 people died in snow-related incidents earlier in the week as storms hit the less-prepared Southern US.

'Difficult rush hour'

New York's public schools were remaining open on Wednesday, but schools were shut elsewhere in parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, faced criticism for the way New York handled a snow storm just after Christmas, when parts of the city's subway ground to a halt, streets were unploughed and ambulances had trouble reaching emergency cases.

As much as 12in (30cm) of snow blanketed states from Louisiana to North Carolina earlier in the week

He warned New Yorkers to expect a tough commute to work.

"It's going to be a difficult, difficult rush hour," Mr Bloomberg was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

"The storm is predicted to be at its heaviest just a few hours before rush hour, and there's no way that our city's (ploughs) can get to all 6,000 streets in one or two hours."

'Seen nothing like this'

On Tuesday, a combination of freezing rain and sleet forced school closures in parts of the South for a second day, as residents faced icy roads and downed power lines.

Officials warned motorists to stay off the roads because of the storm, which began blanketing Southern states with snow on Sunday, trapping motorists on highways in Georgia and Arkansas.

An accumulation of ice is expected to stay on roads throughout many states in the southern US until temperatures warm up later in the week, forecasters said.

"I've been a trucker for 46 years and have seen nothing like this," Vernon Cook, who has been trapped on an interstate ramp in Georgia for close to 24 hours, told AP.