UPDATE 1-`Life-threatening' blizzard shuts down much of U.S. Northeast
January 27, 2015 at 02:30 AM EST
NEW YORK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A life-threatening blizzard barreled into the U.S. Northeast, affecting up to 20 percent of Americans as it kept workers and students housebound, halted thousands of flights and prompted New York to ban cars from roads and shut down subway trains.