Forecasts predicted heavy snowfalls and 65km/h winds in the region's first blizzard of the season, according to the National Weather Service.

Severe weather warnings were issued from the Carolinas to New Jersey.

As of 4pm local time, the National Weather Service reported that 21.59cm of snow fell in Washington, D.C., 22.86cm in eastern Tennessee, 37cm in Virginia and 39.37cm in Maryland.

"This is not a very typical setup for us, especially this time of year," Austin Mansfield, a weather service meteorologist in Virginia, said.

"When we are talking highly populated areas, increasing accumulation of snow becomes problematic."

The inclement weather forced federal government offices to close in the national capital, while dozens of schools across the region cancelled or delayed the start of term.

Even Joe Biden faced delays as he arrived back in Washington. The president and his staff were stuck on Air Force One for 30 minutes as ploughs cleared the runway.

The president's motorcade, which typically darts through Washington's streets, crawled its way back to the White House.

Elsewhere, the storm brought a fair amount of misery and problems.

Heavy snow accumulated on roadways and power lines, causing treacherous travel conditions and leaving homes and businesses without electricity.

Some 661,000 electric company customers were without power in Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia, Poweroutages.us reported, down from about 770,000 outages earlier in the day.

Nearly 3000 flights were cancelled and more than 5000 delayed across the United States, Flightaware.com showed.

Highway officials in Maryland and Virginia said the icy roads caused dozens of accidents and roadway closures.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a snow emergency as public transport in and around the city of 700,000 people was operating on a reduced schedule and faced delays due to the rough conditions.

Australian Associated Press