At least 65 people have perished as a result of the extreme weather, with a particular region emerging as the epicenter of an Arctic deep freeze.
Residents and storm-weary road personnel in the United States are still digging out following a fatal snowfall, while flood warnings have been issued.
Since last week, the nation has been confronting a massive bomb cyclone, the deadliest US storm in at least two generations.
At least 65 people have perished due to the extreme weather, with the region surrounding Buffalo, New York, emerging as the epicenter of an Arctic deep freeze.
The number of confirmed storm-related deaths in Erie and Niagara counties grew to 32 on Tuesday, according to officials.
While snowfall has begun to diminish, emergency services continue to discover and recover vehicles buried beneath several-foot-high snowdrifts and snowdrift mounds.
Mark Polocarz, the executive of Erie County, stated that several of the deceased was discovered frozen in their vehicles or had medical emergencies like as cardiac arrest while clearing snow.
“Please, please, do not drive in the city of Buffalo, unless you are emergency personnel,” he pleaded, stressing that “too many individuals” have disregarded a restriction on driving.
“We are recovering from the deadliest natural disaster I’ve ever witnessed,” he continued.
The military police were brought in to assist
According to the National Weather Service, as much as 52 inches (1.32m) of snow fell in and around Buffalo over the course of four days, with a bit more forecast by Tuesday night (NWS).
The county has requested the assistance of 100 military police from the state National Guard and cops from New York City to assist with traffic management and enforcement of road restrictions.
The NWS now predicts a quick thaw later this week, along with precipitation that could lead to flooding and challenging conditions.
“It will begin to warm up shortly. Thursday’s maximum temperature will be 8C. By Saturday, the temperature will reach 12C “meteorologist Bob Oravec stated.
Roads are being cleared to allow melting snow to drain correctly, and front-loader tractors are being utilized to shovel the snow into dump trucks, which will dispose of it somewhere.
Mr. Poloncarz stated that opening one lane in each city roadway would take two days.
Thousands continue to be without power
According to Mr. Polocarz, not only are the roads damaged, but approximately 4,500 customers were without power on Tuesday as a result of the storm.
President Joe Biden has authorized federal assistance for individuals without electricity.
Southwest Airlines, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has been forced to cancel almost 12,000 flights since Friday owing to the terrible weather conditions.
More than two-thirds of its 4,000 scheduled flights were canceled on Tuesday, accounting for more than 90 percent of all US airline cancellations, according to FlightAware.
