Blizzard in northeast U.S. shuts schools, transport

Children play in Central Park as it snows in the Manhattan borough of New York.

A blizzard dropped more than a foot of snow across the north-eastern United States on Tuesday, falling short of the massive predicted snowfall that prompted officials across the region to close schools and order travel bans.

High winds and heavy snow were set to persist throughout the day, with another foot forecast to fall in parts of Boston. Wind-driven seas caused flooding along some low-lying roadways in coastal Massachusetts, state police said.

The heaviest snowfall was recorded in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, while New York City's Central Park saw just 6 inches, less than a quarter of the "historic" snowfall that some meteorologists had predicted.

"When you hear the word 'crippling' and you look out your window this morning, it is not there," said John Davitt, a meteorologist on New York's

NY1 news channel.

Travel was still snarled, with more than 4,500 flights cancelled at U.S. airports, according to FlightAware.com, and no trains or buses in New York, Boston or New Jersey.

Forecasts for as much as 3 feet of snow had prompted governors in eight East Coast states to declare states of emergency and the storm affected up to 60 million people in nearly a dozen states.

Residents largely obeyed orders to stay off roadways and broadcasters in New York and Boston showed roads largely free of cars early on Tuesday.

Travel bans remained in place on roads in southern New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

"It could be a matter of life and death so caution is required," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters.

In New York's Long Island, Suffolk County Police said that a teenager had died late on Monday when he crashed into a lamppost in the street where he was snow-tubing.