The US government shut down offices in the Washington DC area and hundreds of flights in the region were cancelled ahead of a major new snowstorm.
The worst of the storm was expected to arrive by midday after sweeping through the Midwest and stopping more than 1,100 flights at Chicago airports.
The US Office of Personnel Management, which sets leave policies for 300,000 federal workers, said non-emergency employees would be granted excused absences for Wednesday.
The late-season snowstorm left much of the country's midwest covered in a thick blanket of snow.
The snowstorm, called Saturn, started in Montana, moving to parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota on Monday.
It then crossed into Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana on its way to Washington DC, which is expected to be worst hit.
Up to 10 inches of snow was forecast for Chicago, easily making it the city's biggest fall of the season.
The snowstorm moving across the US. Photo: AFP/NOAA The National Weather Service said snow was possible during both the morning and evening rush hours in Chicago, causing problems for commuters.
Drivers were urged to swap their own transport for buses and trains when possible.
The authorities are trying to prevent a repeat of scenes two years ago when hundreds of commuters were stranded on roads during a huge blizzard.
'Saturn' is expected to bring heavy, wet snow, sometimes called "heart attack snow" because it requires hard work to shovel it away from paths.
"It is taxing their bodies and their hearts," cardiologist Dr David Marmor told the AP news agency.
"People are really testing their limits, and if they're already at high risk, they are better off paying the kid across the street to do it."
The National Weather Service pitched in with its own prosaic description of the white hazard.
"It will be a wet, heavy, gloppy snow consistent with wallpaper paste," a spokesman Chris Vaccaro said.
Chicago resident Pat Reidy said she was taking time off work and had done a 40-minute yoga warm-up to prepare for the heavy lifting she was doing in her neighbourhood.
"I'm trying to avoid a heart attack," the 52-year-old said.
Neighbours have been helping each other out. One, Mike Morawski, 53, cleared the pavement in front an older lady's home.
"We don't want her digging out," he said. "She's a tender, little woman, a piano teacher. She doesn't need to be shovelling."
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