It is usually associated with searing desert heat, forcing visitors to closet themselves in its air-conditioned casinos.

But visitors to Las Vegas are now being buffeted by the worst snowstorms faced by the Nevada city in 30 years.

The US National Weather Service has said that the city faces its biggest snowstorms since 7.8 inches of snow was registered in 1979.

Schools have been closed, flights grounded, and major roads have been closed as the iconic Strip was buried under five inches of snow with more forecast.

"This is the most snow we've had in Las Vegas in almost 30 years," Chris Stachelski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

He added that the freak weather represents "a significant historical event".

The snowstorms appear to be part of a freezing weather pattern sweeping across the United States.

Forecasters believe New York City may get dumped with six inches of snow, sleet and rain, while the Ohio Valley, midwestern states and the East Coast all face a heavy falls.