By Monday afternoon as much as 19in (48cm) of snow had already fallen in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and 17in (43cm) in New York City.
New York City and New Jersey have both declared a state of emergency.
The US National Weather Service said the storm will move up to New England, before tapering off on Tuesday.
Wind gusts of up to 50mph (80km/h) are also forecast for several days creating a blinding, blowing snow storm.
