After building up early Wednesday with ice and freezing rain, the storm blindsided the US capital at the height of the evening rush hour, not even sparing President Barack Obama, who faced travel delays upon returning from a day trip to the US Midwest.

In New York, John F. Kennedy Airport and Newark Airport in New Jersey were closed for almost 12 hours as the storm, simultaneously erupting with lightening and thunder, blanketed the region in more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow.

They reopened later Thursday, but with long delays as airlines worked their way through huge backlogs of canceled flights and miserable passengers.

Similar snarl-ups developed at Philadelphia and New York's La Guardia airports, although the situation was back to normal at Washington's Dulles and Reagan National.

The storm, an unusual thunder and snow combination, was the fifth major snowfall in as many weeks for parts of the US east coast.

For New York City, this has been the most snow-filled January in history, with a total of 36 inches (90 centimeters) breaking the record set 1925.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered all but essential city services shut and school canceled, saying, "New York City almost never takes a snow day, but today is one of those rare days. People should stay at home and off the roads. There are extensive service delays on mass transit, including a suspension of all bus service."

The billionaire mayor, who prides himself on using his corporate management skills in running the country's largest city, took a public battering earlier this month over what was seen as his mishandling of prolonged blizzard.

But even Obama was not spared snow-related inconvenience. He had to use a motorcade -- instead of his helicopter -- to get from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House.

Snow created treacherous road conditions that caused several cars to skid off the road or become stuck in the snow, slowing the presidential motorcade, which made it to the White House at 5:58 pm.

Ordinary commuters had it even worse. The Washington Posted quoted a woman who sat behind the wheel for 13 hours -- "literally. Sitting, not moving." CNN television reported on another commuter whose quick daily hop ended up a 10-hour marathon.

The National Weather Service put the entire Washington-to-Boston corridor under a winter storm warning for "severe winter weather conditions," including wet, heavy snow.

The warning remained in effect until early Thursday morning.

"Only travel in an emergency," the warning stated. "If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency."

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