Bone-Chilling Cold Creates Havoc on East Coast

Freezing temperatures remain up and down the East Coast Wednesday evening, as record-breaking snow forced the governors of New York and New Jersey to declare a state of emergency.

The frigid temperatures are expected to stick around at least through the weekend.

Across the Northeast and Midwest, blinding snow and bitter cold turned roads into sledding hills.

"It's terrible. It's ridiculous. I almost did a 360 -- almost lost control of the vehicle," Indiana driver Deandre Johnson said.

This latest polar freeze has more than 80 million Americans buried under heavy snow. While some are seeing only a few inches, others are seeing a whole lot more. More than a foot of snow fell in New Jersey and 11 inches in New York City.

Even though the snow has stopped for now, ice continues to wreak havoc on the roads.

"It took me three hours to get here from Boston," one commuter said. "Ridiculous"    

"A lot of people should have just stayed home today," one resident said.

Flying isn't proving to be any easier than driving. Wednesday began with more than 1,000 flight cancellations.

And the winter blast closed schools in a long list of cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., where residents wasted no time getting outside for a friendly snowball fight.

"School's closed. We've finished all our work. There's nothing else to do," one person said.

The snow may have stopped falling for now, but the deep freeze has sparked a shortage of firewood in places like Maine.

"I've told many customers, 'Sorry, no seasoned wood," firewood supplier Mark Killinger said.

The early -- and harsh -- winter also prompted a propane shortage for people who use the gas to heat their homes. At least 22 states, about half the countr, are facing shortages right now.

Suppliers in Ohio have been forced to place limits on their delivery schedules.

"They said you could only get 100 gallons at a time, and you had to drop below 20 percent before you could order again," propane customer Ashley Hill said.

The deep freeze is expected to stick around for a few more days, with forecasters predicting more bone-chilling cold and possibly even more snow.