A National Weather Service meteorologist puts the 7 p.m. Saturday reading at 25.1 inches in Central Park.

The 25.1-inch snowfall marks the third most since records were kept beginning in 1869. The National Weather Service says the current record is 26.9 inches from February 2006.

Officials say the snowstorm could continue through Saturday night.

Democratic Gov. Andrew has instituted a travel ban to keep non-emergency workers off the roads. Transit officials have suspended above-ground train service.

The blizzard has brought much of the East Coast to a standstill and shut down the nation’s capital. At least 18 deaths have been blamed on the weather, resulting from car crashes, shoveling snow and hypothermia.

(AP)