American astronaut clicks pictures of massive US blizzard from space

American astronaut Scott Kelly has captured images of the massive storm affecting a quarter of the US' population from the International Space Station.

One of his photos shows the large storm system covering much of the East Coast with dull city lights illuminating just underneath the thick cloud cover. In another photo, Kelly, 51, pointed out that the huge system moving from Chicago toward the east "clearly has a long way to go."

Massive #snowstorm blanketing #EastCoast clearly visible from @Space_Station! Stay safe! #blizzard2016 #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/oq6ewYaTPQ

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 23, 2016

NASA's Suomi NPP satellite also documented the storm system, which stretched from New England to Florida. Much of the storm has moved toward the Northeast and brought blizzard conditions to cities such as Washington DC and New York, killing 18 people and affecting 85 million others.

As #blizzard2016 passes over #Chicago, the #EastCoast seen in distance clearly has a long way to go. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/qMrkTXo9ie

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 23, 2016

Day 302. #Blizzard2016 gave us an impressive view below. Stay warm! #GoodNight from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/ioNOqdYDCP

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 24, 2016

From #Chicago to #NYC and #DC the skies looked clear this morning. #blizzard2016 #BlizzardJonas #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/uwKTkhivZe

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 24, 2016

Kelly is known for sharing stunning views from space. The astronaut is spending 342 days on the International Space Station. It is the longest stretch of time any US astronaut has spent in space, CNN reported. NASA is testing how long-duration spaceflights impact the human body for future travel to Mars and other deep space missions, it said.