Traders in London were left in limbo today after Hurricane Sandy forced Wall Street to shut down for the first time since the September 11 attacks.

An unusually early and powerful snowstorm struck the US East Coast, weighing down or toppling leafy trees and utility lines to knock out power to 2.3 million customers.

The full measure of Hurricane Irene's fury came into focus as the death toll passed 44, while towns in the northern US region of New England battled epic floods and millions were still without electricity.

Hurricane Irene opened its assault on the Eastern Seaboard today by lashing the North Carolina coast with wind as strong as 115 mph and pounding shoreline homes with waves.

HURRICANE Irene caused extraordinary disruption Friday as it zeroed in for a catastrophic run up the Eastern Seaboard. More than two million people were ordered to move to safer places, and New York announced plans to shut down its entire network of subways for the first time because of a natural disaster.

The British government's emergency committee COBRA is to meet this morning to discuss security after suspicious packages were found at East Midlands airport and on a plane in Dubai.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama declared yesterday that authorities had uncovered a “credible terrorist threat” against the United States following the overseas discovery of US-bound packages containing explosives aboard cargo jets. Obama said both had been addressed to Jewish organisations in the Chicago area.

US President Barack Obama declared tonight that authorities had uncovered a “credible terrorist threat” following the discovery of US-bound packages containing explosives aboard cargo jets.

A WEAKENED Hurricane Earl delivered only a glancing blow to North Carolina’s Outer Banks yesterday on its way up the East Coast, flooding roads on the narrow holiday islands and knocking out power but staying farther offshore than feared. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

Around 30,000 residents and visitors were ordered to evacuate a US island today as Hurricane Earl approached.

POWERFUL Hurricane Earl wheeled toward the East Coast, driving the first tourists yesterday from North Carolina vacation islands and threatening damaging winds and waves up the Atlantic seaboard over Labour Day weekend.

Tourists on a holiday island in North Carolina were ordered to board ferries and head for the mainland today as Hurricane Earl threatened to sideswipe the US East Coast.

A powerful Hurricane Earl threatened to lash much of America’s East Coast, forcing Labour Day holidaymakers to rethink spending the traditional last week of summer at the beach.

Rain and overcast skies prevented space shuttle Discovery from returning to Earth today, and Mission Control instructed the astronauts to spend a 15th day circling the world to await better weather.

Tropical Storm Hanna sped toward the Carolinas today, promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up America’s Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions of people.

ROAD crews scrambled to clear highways for commuters yesterday and thousands of travellers stranded at airports still waited to get home as the north-eastern states dug out from a record-breaking storm that dumped 60cm or more of snow.

ATM machines in the Eastern seaboard area could run out of cash this weekend, it was feared today.

SOME schools stayed closed yesterday and airlines struggled to catch up as the US north-east plowed out after the powerful weekend snowstorm that piled snow nearly four feet deep in places.