After being stranded by the blizzard and whiteout conditions, many of the deceased were discovered frozen in their vehicles.
At least fifty people have died as a result of a devastating storm that continues to lash the United States and Canada.
On icy highways in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a bus rolled over, resulting in four additional fatalities. The United States has recorded 46 of the deaths.
Eighteen of the fatalities in the United States have occurred in the state of New York, where the city of Buffalo has been severely affected by the blizzard’s numbing cold and heavy “lake-effect” snow – the result of cool air flowing over warmer lake waters.
Not the Christmas any of us had anticipated
According to the National Weather Service, about four feet of snow fell at Buffalo’s airport by Sunday, while two to three inches of snow fell every hour south of the city.
Among the region’s storm, victims were persons found stuck in their vehicles, forced to freeze in whiteout conditions as rescuers struggled against the weather.
Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, stated over the weekend that several of the state’s ambulances and fire trucks were also stuck in the snow.
The Buffalo police department issued an online request for snowmobile owners to assist with search and rescue operations.
Mark Poloncarz, the executive of Erie County, stated, “This is hardly the Christmas we desired nor anticipated.”
Over 55 million people are still under weather alerts
At its height, as many as 1.8 million properties in the United States were without electricity, and thousands of flights were canceled or delayed.
On Sunday, more than 55 million Americans remained under wind chill alerts, but the number of homes without power has decreased to approximately 150,000.
At least 140,000 residences in Canada are without electricity, with the majority located in Ontario and Quebec.
On Christmas Eve, four people were killed when a bus overturned in snowy weather on Highway 97C near Loon Lake, some 200 miles east of Vancouver.
Interior Health, the local healthcare authority, informed Canada’s CBC that 52 patients were hospitalized and 36 need additional treatment.
By early afternoon on Christmas Day, eight individuals remained hospitalized, with two in critical condition.
Temperatures could plummet as low as -43 degrees Celsius
This week, the Canadian meteorological ministry predicted that temperatures will remain low in many regions of the country.
Overnight, the temperature in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, is anticipated to drop to -28C (-18F), but with wind chill, this could reach -43C (-45F), bringing the risk of frostbite within minutes.
Whitehorse, in the Yukon territory of Canada, was projected to reach -30C (-22F) with wind chill.
