Freezing monster storm across US claims at least 24 lives

A lone pedestrian makes his way across Colonial Circle in Buffalo, New York (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News/AP)

Millions of people hunkered down against a deep freeze on Sunday to ride out the freezing storm that has killed at least 24 people across the US and is expected to claim more, after trapping some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to several hundred thousand homes and businesses.

The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico.