Record-breaking winter storms hammered the northeastern U.S. over the weekend, creating headaches for commuters and causing numerous school delays Monday.

Residents in Burlington, Vt., broke out snowplows to uncover their vehicles Monday morning after nearly 84 centimetres of the fluffy stuff landed over the weekend, breaking a single-storm record of 76 centimetres set in 1969.

Parts of upstate New York were also blanketed by more than 91 centimetres snow.

Storms dumped more than 100 centimetres of snow on Fulton, in Oswego County, since last Friday. Williamson, which is on Lake Ontario east of Rochester, N.Y., received nearly 70 centimetres, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

Heavy overnight snowfall in western Pennsylvania slowed commuters and caused hundreds of school delays. Ohio students got an extra day of holidays Monday thanks to lake-effect storms threatening to dump 30 centimetres of snow just as residents dug their way out a weekend storm.

Residents in Maine continued to search for an 18-year-old snowmobiler Monday who disappeared shortly after a winter storm began Friday night.

Ice affecting New Jersey nuclear plant

Meanwhile, technicians worked to get two nuclear power plants in New Jersey back to full power Monday after ice in a nearby river interfered with the facilities.

The Salem Unit 2 plant, situated by the Delaware River, was forced to shut down Sunday morning when it was discovered the station's cooling mechanism was taking in ice, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Another nuclear plant was reduced to 80 per cent power for the same reason.

It wasn't clear Monday when the two plants would return to full power.

With files from The Associated Press