Seattle struggles with unusually heavy snow

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Image caption, Some residents, and their pets, have been taking advantage of conditions

Parts of the US Pacific Northwest are being covered with unusually high levels of snow.

The region, more used to rain than icy conditions, has been hit by a series of wintry storm systems.

The National Weather Service says parts of Seattle have received more than 10.6in (27cm) of snow so far this February - the highest amount in 70 years.

Forecasters have warned of more to come on Sunday and Monday.

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Image caption, In the city's Gas Works Park, it was not just sledges being ridden

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Image caption, A giant inflatable unicorn pool floor carried several people down the steep hill

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Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at Washington's Seattle-Tacoma and Portland International airports in recent days.

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Image caption, A boy is photographed sledding in the city's Phinney Ridge neighbourhood

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Image caption, The neighbourhood's snow-covered roads were transformed by some residents into a wintry playground

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Washington's Governor, Jay Inslee, declared an emergency across the state on Friday.

He has encouraged residents to stay off the roads. Seattle police have been trying to house the city's homeless in shelters.

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Image caption, Despite conditions, notoriously resilient US postal service workers remained out in Seattle on Friday

About 50,000 residents are said to have lost power across the state, US media report.

More central areas of Washington state have been inundated with snow drifts of up to 3-4ft (1m-1.2m) in places, the Associated Press reports.

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Image caption, More used to rain, residents have been scrambling for winter materials

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Image caption, Seattle's grocery stores have been photographed scarce in essentials

Recent cold weather and snow has been affecting other states too.

More than 120 people were rescued on Thursday from a Sierra Nevada, California, resort after being trapped by snow for five days. Sprinklings of snowfall have even been reported in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Because of how unprepared Seattle was for recent weather, some have jokingly labelled the recent storms as Seattle's "Snowpocalypse" or "Snowmageddon" on social media.

Residents from elsewhere in the state, and further afield in the US, have been mocking them for not being able to cope with conditions.

All photographs copyright to Getty Images.