The storm has paralysed much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor. Picture: AP/Seth Wenig

Airlines, including Qantas, cancelled around 6000 flights on Tuesday as cities braced for record snow and governors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia declared states of emergency.

Qantas’ US airline partner, American Airlines, cancelled all flights into the New York region’s three main airports: John F Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark. Other Qantas codeshare flights from Boston and Philadelphia were also cancelled.

Snowplows work to keep the grounds clear at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday. Picture: AP/Seth WenigSource:AP

Qantas flight 12, a popular flight for Australian tourists flying home after American holidays, was scheduled to leave JFK at 8.55pm on Tuesday for Los Angeles but was cancelled.

The massive number of New York flight cancellations came despite the metropolitan area avoiding the storm’s biggest punch, with officials halving the city’s snowfall forecast to between 10 to 20cm.

People carry a salt spreader and a shovel at Newark Liberty International Airport. Picture: AP/Seth WenigSource:AP

New York state’s north and along the Pennsylvania border expected more than 70cm of snow.

“Mother Nature is an unpredictable lady sometimes,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters.

Further north, in Boston, the city was expecting 30cm of snow and around 60cm in other parts of Massachusetts.

The storm has paralysed much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor. Picture: AP/Seth WenigSource:AP