Snow, rain and ice blankets US northwest, northeast

Tourist make their way down icy steps near the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park on December 20, the morning after a winter storm hit New York City. A massive winter storm blanketed the US West Coast with snow, sleet and ice while the northeast was also struck with blizzards and snow squalls that made travel dangerous, officials said. (AFP/File/Timothy A. Clary)

A snowboarder heads down a side street and past snowed-in cars in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood during a snow storm Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008. The snow was a day late, but it arrived dramatically in Seattle on Thursday, swirling down amid lightning and thunder to snarl traffic and close schools for tens of thousands of students. Heavy snow fell on most of Washington, with the National Weather Service predicting frigid temperatures into next week, along with more snow possible by the weekend. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A massive winter storm blanketed the US West Coast with snow, sleet and ice early Monday while blizzards and snow squalls struck the Northeast and Midwest, killing at least three people and making travel dangerous.

The storm snarled holiday air traffic across the country, with delays of more than an hour at major airports in San Francisco, California; Houston, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; New Jersey and New York, officials said.

It is blamed for the death of two people in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate Highway 80 east of Des Moines, Iowa.

Another weather-related fatality was reported in northwest Iowa, near the town of Remsen, when a farm tractor being used for snow removal slipped off the driveway and overturned, killing the driver, the Des Moines Register newspaper reported.

Travel was treacherous in the northwestern states of Oregon and Washington, with heavy rain, sleet and snow expected until 10:00 am (1800 GMT) Monday, the National Weather Service said in its winter storm warning for the region.

"This is probably one of the worst storms since 1990," weather service meteorologist Dana Felton told AFP by phone from Seattle, adding that the last big storm of this scale was on December 25, 1996.

"This is definitely a once-in-a-decade type of storm."

Total snow amounts were forecast from five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) Monday morning across the northwest, with more than a foot (30 centimeters) in local mountains, it said.

Highway drivers "should expect to encounter hazardous winter weather conditions," particularly at higher elevations, with four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of new snow expected overnight above 3,500 feet (1,066 meters), it added.

Overnight snow, ice and freezing temperatures led to "treacherous conditions," road closures and downed powerlines throughout the state, the Oregonian newspaper reported.

Washington state saw highway closures and "major problems" at its Seattle-Tacoma airport, with thousands of stranded passengers, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

In the northeast, which is more accustomed to wintry weather, blizzard conditions and strong winds caused frequent whiteouts, with the weather service warning that "travel will be extremely hazardous" through Monday due to a snowstorm sweeping Lake Michigan to the Atlantic Coast.

Bitterly cold temperatures ranged from the single digits (from negative 17 to negative 12 Celsius) in the Midwest's northern plains and northern Rocky Mountains, to 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit (negative seven Celsius to one degree below zero) in the northwestern and northeastern parts of the country.

In Chicago, temperatures plunged to two degrees below zero Fahrenheit (negative 19 Celsius) while blowing snow and strong winds have resulted in thousands of power outages throughout the metropolitan area.

(Agencies)