The blizzard has varied greatly in force locally. The area south of the city of Buffalo has been worst hit, with close to 1.7 meters of snow in a single day in some places on Lake Erie.
In other places, it has snowed a few centimeters.
Two people have died of heart problems while clearing snow. A house was crushed under the weight of the snow, and the emergency services were called to help the resident get out.
Many motorists who defied weather warnings are stuck in the snow, and tow trucks struggle to reach them. Schools have been closed and train and air traffic has been cancelled.
A state of emergency has been declared in the areas around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
During the worst storm to date in Buffalo, in 2014, locally two meters of snow fell over three days.