Winter storm leaves dozens dead in the United States

(CNN) – At least 25 people have died in Erie County, New York, as a result of a severe winter storm that has swept across much of the United States in recent days, county officials said Monday, bringing the nationwide death toll to 47.

The updated death toll in Erie County, which includes the city of Buffalo, comes as parts of western New York are still buried in up to four feet of snow, trapping vehicles and knocking out power for thousands over the holidays. Christmas, just one month later the area was hit by a historic snowstorm.

“This is an awful situation,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncars said at a news conference, noting that officials expect more snow to fall between Monday morning and 1 p.m. Tuesday. “This is not helpful because we are trying to restore and clear the streets and enter areas that have not yet been plowed,” he said.

While driving bans have been lifted in some communities, one is still in effect in Buffalo, Poloncars said, describing the city as “impassable in most areas” and that there are abandoned cars, trucks and vehicles strewn everywhere. “It will take some time to clean them up,” he said.

Even the emergency and recovery vehicles sent to help got stuck in the snow. Authorities said 11 abandoned ambulances were dug up on Sunday.

“We had to send in specialized rescue teams to look for rescuers,” Polonkars told CNN This Morning Monday, adding that it was the worst storm he could remember. “It was absolutely horrible, and it was horrific for 24 hours straight.”

“We’re so used to the snow here,” he said, “we can handle the snow.” “But with the wind, poor visibility, and bitter cold, it was some of the worst conditions any of us had ever seen.”

Many weather-related deaths in New York have occurred in Erie County, with some people dying from exposure or from cardiac events while shoveling or blowing snow, Polonkarz said at the news conference, citing findings from the New York City office of the county medical examiner.

The storm drew widespread comparisons to the infamous Buffalo Blizzard of 1977. “The ferocity of the present storm…was worse than the blizzard of ’77,” Poloncars told a news conference Monday. In a news conference Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the current storm “the most destructive storm in Buffalo’s long history.”

Hundreds of National Guard soldiers have been deployed to help rescue efforts in New York. Hochul said state police had been involved in more than 500 rescues as of Sunday, including the birth of a baby and the case of a man with a 4% battery in his mechanical heart.

“We are still in the middle of this very serious life-threatening situation,” Hochul said, urging residents to stay off the roads. “Our state and county plows have been there non-stop, investing time and putting themselves at risk, driving through blizzards to clear roads,” Hochul said.

A winter storm leaves dozens dead across the country

At least 47 deaths have been attributed to hazardous weather conditions since Wednesday, as some residents in the northeast spend their holidays without adequate heating and hot water as bitterly cold temperatures persist.

New York – 25: People died as a result of the winter storm in Erie County, according to Erie County Executive Mark Polonkarz. Another person has died in Niagara County, according to the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.

Colorado-2: Police reported two weather-related deaths in Colorado Springs.

Wisconsin – 1: The Wisconsin State Patrol reported a fatal accident due to wintry weather last Thursday.

Tennessee – 1: The Tennessee Department of Health on Friday confirmed a winter storm-related death.

Ohio – 9: Four people were killed in the crash on the Ohio Turnpike Friday “as a result of a weather-related motor vehicle accident,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) has confirmed that four more people were killed in the weather-related I-75 crash Saturday. Another person was killed in a weather-related accident in Crawford County, according to OSHP.

Kentucky – 3Three people died in the state. Governor Andy Beshear announced two deaths Friday morning. One additional death has been confirmed in Montgomery County due to a motor vehicle accident.

Kansas – 3The Kansas Highway Patrol told CNN on Friday that three people have died in weather-related traffic accidents.

Missouri – 1Kansas City Police Department first responders said one person died after the camper slid off an icy road into a frozen creek.

Blackouts

Nearly 175,000 American homes and businesses were without power as of 8:30 a.m. ET, many in Maine and New York, according to the poweroutage.us. Since the beginning of the storm, the number of outages has sometimes exceeded a million customers.

Grid operator of at least 13 states in the eastern half of the country Requested Customers should save energy and set their thermostats lower than normal from early Saturday morning until 10am Sunday because usage was straining capacity.

The operator, PJM Interconnection, serves approximately 65 million people in all or part of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. That a power outage may occur if the load is excessive.

In New York, Con Edison and Natural Grid US utilities also urged customers to conserve energy, citing severe weather conditions and increased power demand on the interstate pipelines that bring natural gas to the city.

Meanwhile, an electricity shortage in Texas prompted the U.S. Department of Energy on Friday to declare a state of emergency, allowing the state’s energy provider to bypass environmental emissions standards until energy use drops.

Freezing temperatures hampered efforts to repair a large water break late Saturday, which caused a loss of water pressure for residents, officials said in Jackson, Mississippi.

“We are so grateful to the crews braving such high temperatures this Christmas Eve as they work to put pressure back on residents. Their sacrifice has not gone unnoticed and is appreciated not only by this administration, but also by all affected residents. ” , the statement states.

What to expect as the storm slowly weakens and hazardous conditions persist

The powerful system that has triggered a blizzard and winter weather warnings continues to move away from the Northeast, but many cities and towns are still covered in heavy snow. Over a 24-hour period, Paraga, Michigan received 4 feet of snow, while Watertown, New York received 34 inches.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, had its snowiest Christmas Eve on record, receiving 26 centimeters of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Winter storm warnings remain in effect in New York for Buffalo, Jamestown and Watertown and will expire over the next few days. Forecasts show Jamestown could see another 8 inches of snow, Buffalo could see another 14 inches and Watertown could see another 3 feet. Winds can also reach 40 miles per hour.

Lake effect snow warnings remain north of Jamestown until 10 a.m. ET Tuesday, an area that could reach 45 inches.

The intensity of the continuing lake-shaped snowfall downwind from the Great Lakes will slowly, but the Arctic air engulfing most of the eastern half of the country will be slow to moderate, according to the National Weather Service.

Lake effect snowfall will continue to create hazardous travel conditions over the next few days and conditions are expected to slowly improve during the week.

A low pressure system is expected to move farther out into Canada, while another system will cross the northern United States rapidly through Monday, bringing snow from the northern plains into the Midwest.

Forecasters said most of the eastern part of the country will remain frozen until Monday before a moderate trend begins on Tuesday.

— CNN’s Joe Sutton, Issa Kaufman-Gibali, Selina Tibor, Mike Sainz and David J. Lopez contributed to this report.