US president barack Obama has referred to the weather in Washington as "snowmageddon."

The new phrase conveyed to people in the nation's capital the dire state of the weather,
which is due to continue in a similar vein throughout the week.

With more snow forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, Washington and surrounding areas will need to continue digging themselves out of the paralyzing blizzards that dumped more than half a metre of snow on the weekend.

State officials throughout the mid-Atlantic region were forced to declare emergency conditions after the two days of snowfalls.

Local governments had to battle to keep roads clear, while residents struggled to free their cars from massive snowdrifts.

Airports and public transport facilities were closed.

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power to their homes.

Washington received more snow in 36 hours than it usually gets in an entire winter.