Five days after the official start of spring, much of the US remained firmly in the grip on winter on Monday as a wide-ranging storm pushed towards the east coast after blanketing the mid-west with snow and slush.

Light rain and snow fell in New Jersey on Monday morning after the storm dropped between 2in (5cm) and 6in (15cm) in Ohio. Similar accumulations were expected in some areas of Pennsylvania, except for higher elevations like the Laurel Mountains southeast of Pittsburgh, where 6in (15cm) to 10in (25cm) were forecast.

In the mid-Atlantic region, Heather Sheffield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia, said more than 3in of snow had been reported by 8am Monday at Washington Dulles International Airport, and more than an inch at Reagan National Airport.

Sheffield said most of that region's expected snowfall had already occurred, but "it happened at the worst time for the morning commute. I know I had a tough time".

The weather forced the cancellation of more than 500 flights, and winter weather warnings were in place in 12 states.

Kristina Pydynowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com, said: "The heaviest snow has left the mid-west and is settling on mid-Atlantic states. From Monday night, the snow will push off the north-east, just grazing New England."

Up to 6in could fall in parts of New Jersey, with 3in possible in Long Island. In New York City, up to 2in could fall, but is unlikely to settle due to ground temperatures.

Although fairly late in the year, the snowfall is not record-breaking. "It is not rare, it isn't going to be historically late," Pydynowski said.

In New York City, the latest date on the calendar to have recorded more than an inch of snow was April 25, 1875. The latest ever snowfall in the city was on May 9, 1977.

The mid-west was the worst hit area. Springfield, in central Illinois, received a record 17in of snow, and several central Indiana counties declared snow emergencies after getting hit with up to 8in.

But the late winter weather was surprisingly good news for crop farmers who are struggling with the effects of the ongoing drought.

The US drought monitor continues to show large swathes of the great plains and the mid-west under a severe drought warning

Brian Fuchs, climatologist at the Drought Mitigation Center, said: "The snow is definitely helping, especially at this time of the year. Overall it has been a positive, we are seeing definite improvements."

He added: "Most of the snow has been very wet – we are seeing around a foot of snow for one inch of water. Mostly in the winter the snow is a lot drier."