World weatherwatch: Record snowfall hits city of Erie, Pennsylvania on Christmas Day

Officials declare state of emergency after 86cm of snow falls in north-eastern US, as typhoons hit nations closer to equator

The magic of a picture-perfect white Christmas is something many long for year after year. Erie, Pennsylvania was the place to be this year, where a whopping 86cm (34in) of snow fell on Christmas Day.

This 24-hour snowfall shattered the previous Christmas record (20cm) and even broke the all-time snowiest day in the city's history (51cm) on 22 November 1956.