Nearly 65 million Americans are under weather alerts as a quick-hitting winter storm blasts the country.
Much of the East Coast woke up to a blanket of snow on Saturday morning, with Philadelphia braced for its biggest dump in two years.
The National Weather Service warned that up to an inch an hour could fall in the Pennsylvanian city, with totals hitting up to six inches by lunchtime.
Advisories were also issued for New Jersey and New York, where the snowfall had already passed expectations by up to six inches in some areas.
Drivers were being warned of difficult conditions, while temperatures are expected to hover around freezing when wind chill is factored in.
Nearly 65 million Americans are under weather alerts as a winter storm blasts the country
Much of the East Coast woke up to snowfall on Saturday morning, with accumulations seen from the Ohio valley to the Jersey Shore (pictured)
Philadelphia (pictured) was set to receive more snow that it has for two years with up to six inches forecast
Louie thw dog plays catch in Rockwood Park after a couple of inches of snow dropped overnight in Wilmington, Delaware
At the same time, a second atmospheric river is due to sweep in on the west coast, lashing California with yet more rain.
The weather system is due to last until Sunday, soaking the golden state with several inches of precipitation and triggering the possibility of yet more floods and landslides.
Up in the mountains, snowfall is likely to be measured in feet, continuing the active weather pattern seen in the region in recent weeks.
Flood watches have been issued for several areas, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and Los Angeles.
It comes after many parts of California were swamped by catastrophic flash floods last week, which swept away homes and saw people rescued from submerged vehicles.
The Pacific storm was the second ‘Pineapple Express’ weather system to pummel the West Coast in less than a week and dumped torrential rain over Southern California.
There were more than 120 mudslides and the brutal weather system claimed the lives of at least three people.
All three were killed by wind-toppled trees – 82-year-old David Gomes in the former gold rush town of Yuba City and a 45-year-old Robert Brainard II at Boulder Creek in the coastal Santa Cruz Mountain.
A blanket of snow sticks to the trees in Neptune Township, New Jersey
Drivers were being warned of difficult conditions, while temperatures are expected to hover around freezing when wind chill is factored in
Amy Nakamoto-Brown and her dog Bogey enjoy an early morning walk in Rockwood Park, Delaware
Another man, Chad Ensey, was also killed by a falling tree in Carmichael, just east of Sacramento. He was 41 years old.
One of the most dramatic of rescues saw an LA Fire Department helicopter hovering above a raging LA River to save a man who had ventured into the torrent to rescue his dog.
The man was hoisted to safety and flown to a hospital. The dog was also able to swim to safety.
The normally calm waterway roared back to life as the rains fell and was on the verge of bursting its banks. More than a foot of rain fell in just 24 hours with the storm not expected to taper off until later in the week.
There were fears of a repeat of the deadly scenes, as the NWS warned as much as eight inches of rain could fall on ground that has already been saturated in recent weeks.
Californians have been urged to avoid low-lying areas during the downpours.
Forecasters also issued a winter storm warning from 4pm Sunday until 10am Wednesday predicting gusts of up to 55mph and the possibility of power outages.
A second atmospheric river is due to sweep in on the west coast, lashing California with yet more rain
It comes after many parts of California were swamped by catastrophic flash floods last week, which swept away homes and saw people rescued from submerged vehicles
In a dramatic river rescue, an LA Fire Department helicopter crew pulled a man from the turbulent waters of the Los Angeles River after his dog fell in
Firefighters were able to rescue both the dog and the man, who were save on drier land. Forecasters predict up to eight inches of rain in this latest weather system, which is due to hit saturated land prompting fears of yet more landslides
Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact holiday weekend travel with snow covered roads, reduced visibility at times, chain controls and possible road closures,’ the warning states.
‘If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Slow down and use caution while traveling.’
At higher elevations, snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches have been forecast above 6000 feet with up to a foot above 8000 feet. Heaviest snowfall is expected Sunday night and Monday.