Photos: Frigid air led to record-breaking snowfall in US Northeast

The 30 to 45 inches of snowfall in a 350-mile swath from north-central Pennsylvania to New Hampshire has created a new record that will be studied for years to come. | Above: People walk down a snow-covered Chestnut Street in Boston, Massachusetts.

While the meteorologists were not expecting three and a half feet of snow, a number of records were set in the past days, including what is potentially Pennsylvania's greatest 24-hour snowfall, 43.3 inches in Alba, a small town in the north-central part of the state.

Despite the quantity and the speed of snowfall that led to vehicles being buried and roadways disappearing in at least four states, surprisingly there were no power outages seen, except for about 30,000 ice-related outages in Virginia.

Peak snowfall totals topped 40 inches in four states: Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

A woman tosses a shovel full of snow while digging out her car, in Manchester, New Hampshire.

As the snow piles up, Gina Hanson, of Brattleboro, Vermont, walks in the road on Brattleboro’s Main Street during Winter Storm Gail.

People walk in the snow in Boston, Massachusetts.

A postal mail carrier delivers mail on Wester Avenue, in Brattleboro, Vermont.

The US Capitol is seen behind melting snow in Washington DC.

People go sledding on Central Park's Pilgrim Hill in New York.

People dig out vehicles from snow in Boston.

A man clears snow from his car, in Manchester, New Hampshire.

People walk down Fifth Avenue, the morning after winter storm Gail hit the East coast.

City workers cross the street following a winter storm in Philadelphia.

In this aerial view from a drone, residents with sleds take advantage of the icy road on Fams Drive in Plainview, New York.

Don Houghton shovels the snow from a section of sidewalk on Elliot Street, in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Snow falls during a Nor'easter storm in New York City.

Two feet of snow accumulation covers a car parked by the roadside in Glenwood, Pennsylvania.

A pedestrian walks through the falling snow in Boston, Massachusetts.

Residents clear the snow in Old Bethpage, New York.

People dine outdoors during a snow storm in New York.

In an aerial view from a drone, residents take advantage of the small hills and the recent snowfall to sled at Mattlin Middle School in Plainview, New York.

Snow falls during a Nor'easter storm in New York City.

Snow on a sidewalk following a winter storm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Snow plow trucks clear a street in New York.

Residents clear the snow in Old Bethpage, New York.