The storm that started early Sunday began to abate Monday as blue skies finally reappeared, revealing a snow-and-ice encrusted region, deserted highways, stranded cars and still stuttering public transport.

Although the National Weather Service lifted its blizzard warning for the US northeast, the storm funneled into Canada, dealing the Atlantic coast a dose of the same snow and gale force winds.

More than 5,000 flights were canceled as winds whipping up to 90 miles (150 kilometers) per hour hit areas from North Carolina to Maine. Officials said they may not unravel the colossal mess until Friday, the start of another holiday weekend.

The fierce storm left hundreds of cities and towns, highways and bridges, all but paralyzed under a shroud of icy white. Emergency crews rescued hundreds of motorists from snow-draped roads, and hundreds of passengers on one of New York City's seemingly invincible subways endured a long cold night on a snow-stuck train.

The storm dumped some 32 inches (80 centimeters) of snow in parts of New Jersey and New York City's Central Park was buried 20 inches (50 centimeters).

In the hard-hit New York metropolitan area, businesses, homeowners and municipal services slowly got back on track and after almost 24 hours of being shut down, the three big area airports were struggling to their feet.

La Guardia Airport was open by late afternoon, with John F. Kennedy International Airport following shortly after, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Newark International in New Jersey was the last to reopen.

Even after reopening, huge delays were expected as airlines worked their way through the aftershock of thousands of cancelled flights.

Other airports in the region, including Boston and Philadelphia, remained open throughout, but with on-and-off delays.

Ground transport was little better off.

The Amtrak rail network said it was resuming limited service between New York and Boston after blizzard conditions halted trains along the heavily used corridor for 13 hours.

But Amtrak warned passengers to "expect delays on travel throughout the day."

New York commuter routes and bus services were crippled, while roads made hazardous going for the few drivers who had actually been able to escape their snow-clogged parking spaces.

In Brooklyn, cross-country skiers took over the middle of a major road as children played in the deep snow.

In six states -- Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia -- governors called up a total of 430 National Guard troops to help authorities get life back to normal.

In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg came under fire for what critics saw as a slow response to the well forecasted storm.

The commuter train line between the city and Long Island was paralyzed, as were portions of the city bus and subway systems, with ice and snow blocking tracks, and sometimes even collecting inside underground stations.

Newspaper kiosks and fruit stands that open in the bitterest cold and heaviest summer rains were shut. Some businesses, though, made the extra effort.

"People are snowed in, so they'll be needing food. Some others will be getting cabin fever and will want to come out," explained David Chiong, owner of Cascabel Taqueria, which does eat-in and take-outs of spicy Mexican food.

Roads and highways around Boston appeared nearly deserted as many offices and stores closed for the storm.

Officials in eastern Canada said the blizzard was already dumping heavy amounts of snow and forcing the cancellation of flights from Fredericton and Moncton in New Brunswick. Some 40,000 homes lost electricity in the region.

The weather service said gale-force winds will reduce visibility to near zero in some areas.

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