Blinding snow whipped up by powerful winds pummeled the eastern US on January 29, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered transport chaos and power outages across a region of some 70 million people.

Major cities like New York and Boston bore the brunt of the blizzard, which the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed intensified on January 29 into a “bomb cyclone” – characterised by the explosive power of rapid drops in atmospheric pressure.

The heaviest-hit parts of New York and Massachusetts received 61cm of snow by early evening, with more than 95,000 homes in Massachusetts reported without power.

Cold weather stretched as far south as Florida, where the NWS warned of “scattered to isolated falling iguanas from trees” as plunging temperatures temporarily paralysed the large lizards.

Residents in towns and cities across the eastern seaboard were urged to avoid all unnecessary travel for a second night of whiteout conditions, with additional snowfall expected to be heaviest across New England.

In Long Island, officials said a woman had been found dead in her car by a snowplow operator.

Salt machines and snowplows crawled along the streets of New York City, where Central Park was covered in 7.5 inches of snow and regional train lines were partially shut down.

In Times Square, the famous neon billboards formed glowing halos in the snowy air. But the frigid temperatures didn’t stop Robert Burck, a Times Square fixture known as the “Naked Cowboy”.

Wearing only his underwear, a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, he strolled through the nearly empty tourist hotspot, strumming his guitar.

“It’s fantastic,” one undaunted tourist, Gonzalo Vazquez of Spain, said in Times Square. “It’s like skiing, surrounded by lights and awesome LED screens.”

In the trendy Cobble Hill neighbourhood in Brooklyn, the sidewalks were almost deserted and many businesses were closed. But the few who did brave the elements smiled as they wished each other, “Happy snow day!”

New York and the neighbouring state of New Jersey plus Virginia, Maryland and Delaware declared emergencies for all or part of the states.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the storm’s perils were not over yet, warning residents on January 29 that “the most dangerous phase of the storm is now”.

“Please continue to avoid any unnecessary travel while our crews are working to clear the roads,” she said.

In Boston where a snow emergency was declared, Mayor Michelle Wu tweeted a reminder on January 29 “to stay off the roads if you can”.

Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker said there had been “serious whiteout conditions for most of the midday today,” and that there was still “pretty limited visibility out there.”