More than a quarter of a million homes and businesses in Northeast United States were without power on Tuesday after a spring storm packing powerful winds and heavy, wet snow swept across the region.

Two major winter storms will dump heavy snow and blow fierce winds in the Midwest, New England and Southwestern United States on Tuesday and into the next couple of days, wreaking havoc on road travel while improving ski conditions in parts of Colorado.

At least 21 people died in an enormous traffic jam caused by tens of thousands of visitors thronging a Pakistani hill town to see unusually heavy snowfall, authorities said Saturday.

The snow storm is over but the travel misery lingered: drivers on a major highway outside Washington reported Tuesday they were stuck in their cars in freezing weather for 24 hours or more.

A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in California has been shut down due extreme winter weather, with forecasters warning that travel could be difficult for the next few days.

A rare deep freeze in Texas that raised demand for power forced the US state's electric grid operator on Monday.

Snow and ice continue to grip parts of northern Germany where freezing temperatures led to slippery roads and traffic accidents.