Is this the new planking?

Boston Blizzard Challenge ... Bostonians are diving out of their windows into the snow below. Picture: Instagram/tycopee_ Source: Supplied

An icy winter storm has crippled much of the central and eastern United States with Boston targeted for yet more snow later this week. Jillian Kitchener reports.

AFTER four massive blizzards in just a month, the people of Boston are starting to lose it.

Things have gotten so bad, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh was forced to issue a statement.

"I'm asking people to stop their nonsense right now. These are adults jumping out windows," Walsh said, according to the Boston Herald. "It's a foolish thing to do and you could kill yourself."

Walsh was referring to the latest dangerous craze where Bostonians are jumping out of their windows into giant snowbanks and sharing the video online.

Boston, on America's East Coast, is buried under 96-inches (2.4 metres) of snow as yet another snowstorm last weekend raised snowfall totals to a nearly-record high.

With winds clocking 96km/h in some parts and temperatures dropping to -17C, locals are resorting to desperate (and dangerous) measures to stay entertained.

Since Sunday, videos of locals leaping from windows have continued to appear online with the hashtags #bostonblizzardchallenge and #bostonsnowchallenge.

The new craze has infuriated Boston's mayor, who found out about it from the Sunday night news.

"This isn't Loon Mountain, this is the city of Boston, where we're trying to remove snow off of the street and it becomes very dangerous," Walsh said.

"And the last thing we want to do is respond to an emergency call where somebody jumped out of the window because they thought it was a funny thing to do."

Heavy lifting ... a front-end loader clears snow from the street in Boston. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer Source: AP

Repair work ... workers clear snow from a roof in Boston on Monday after the region's fourth winter storm in a month blew through. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer Source: AP

White-out ... a man tries to walk through an snow-covered street in Beacon Hill in Boston. Picture: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer Source: AP