A huge storm has hit the northeastern part of the United States, affecting major regions of New England, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts and even in parts of Canada, according to CNN.

The regions have been plagued with heavy snowfall, blizzards, gusty winds and frigid temperatures. The situation has been the same for almost a week now.

According to Reuters, the city of New York was forced to shut down on a scale not seen since Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the region in 2012. This massive storm affected almost 60 million people in the region, causing several states along the northeastern region to declare emergencies.

Speaking to CNN on the conditions of the storm, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said "This is literally the calm before the storm. It's about to start in earnest. And when it does, it's going to come in very fast and very hard, and people have to be very, very careful. People have to stay off the streets and stay off the sidewalks."

The storm was expected to drop to around the feet of snow in cities like New York and Boston. Some residents were seen digging through almost 30 inches of snow on the sidewalks and driveways.

More than 4,700 U.S. flights were canceled on Tuesday, according to FlightAware. Also, according to the site, more than 80 percent of scheduled flights at airports in New York, Philadelphia and Boston were affected.

Its not just the flights that have been affected due to this storm. Connecticut governor Dannel P. Malloy ordered a travel ban on Connecticut highways, while officials in other states asked residents to avoid any unnecessary travel. The New York City authorities imposed a driving ban, along with shutting down the subway system, according to the BBC.