Washington, Dec 27 (IANS): Six people, including two young children, were left dead in weather-related accidents, as winter snowstorms complicated travel for many Americans in the Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday

Snow totals in parts of Indiana ranged from 6 to 12 inches, CNN reported. About 350 snowploughs were clearing roads throughout the city.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told residents they should avoid nonessential travel.

"Winter weather has arrived for many parts of the state, so as a precaution we have opened the emergency operation centre to coordinate response efforts using all state and local resources," Cuomo said.

New York State Police said long sections of Interstate 84 and the Taconic State Parkway were closed for several hours while crews cleared snow.

Wind was causing major delays at airports, including Philadelphia International Airport. At one point, it had delays of more than four hours, the longest setbacks in the country, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Several other airports in the Northeast experienced delays of more than two hours on Wednesday.

A white Christmas is rare for Little Rock, Arkansas, but a powerful winter storm took it to a new level: The 9 inches that fell broke a Dec 25 snowfall record that stood for 86 years, CNN reported.

In areas where the storm has passed, officials were assessing the damage.

More than 25 storm-related injuries were reported in Mississippi, the state's emergency management office said. No fatalities were reported. In addition to the injuries, about 70 homes were damaged, most in the southern portion of the state.

On Tuesday, Governor Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for several battered Mississippi counties, a declaration that helps get support to victims.