Winter storm kills at least 12 in New York, with more deaths expected to be announced
Seven people have now died in Erie County, New York, due to the weather
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}What will go down in history as the Blizzard of 2022 has already claimed the lives of 12 people in New York, with more expected to be announced in the next six to 12 hours.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul attended a storm update briefing in Erie County on Christmas afternoon and said the blizzard surpassed the scale of the Blizzard of ‘77.
A person clears snow as a winter storm rolls through Western New York Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Amherst N.Y. A battering winter storm has knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the United States on Saturday. It left millions more to worry about the prospect of further outages and crippled police and fire departments. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
County Executive Mark Poloncarz said 12 deaths have been confirmed by the county health medical examiner. Six of the deaths were in Buffalo, three in Amherst and three in Cheektowaga.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The oldest person to die during the storm, Poloncarz said, was 93 and the youngest was 26.
"To all who lost a loved one…you have our deepest condolences," he said, adding that this is a storm residents will never forget, not just because of the magnitude but also because of the deaths on Christmas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the update, Hochul thanked the hundreds of plow drivers, state police and EMS crew members out in the storm and rescuing people.
To allow crews to continue to make rescues and clear the roads, the governor urged residents to stay off the roads and remain in their homes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Conditions over the next 24 to 48 hours are expected to be a challenge, according to Poloncarz.
Buffalo could see another 2 inches of snow by 7 p.m. on Monday and another 3-4 inches of snow by 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
Other areas could see up to another foot of snow, the county executive said, and gusty winds up to 35 mph are expected to continue.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Even though the official blizzard is over, lake effect snow and the gusty winds will create blizzard-like conditions.
A driving ban is in effect until 7 a.m. on Monday for all of Erie County, at which point it will be reevaluated. Poloncarz said residents should not expect the driving ban to be lifted, though it could be in southern portions of the county.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There are about 15,000 customers without power in Buffalo, and National Grid has said it may not be restored until Tuesday.
Several power substations are frozen over with snow, Poloncarz said, and when crews finally reach the equipment through snow drifts as high as 18 feet, a lot of the hardware needs to be replaced.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hochul was asked during the event why the National Guard was not staged in place before the storm. The governor explained that staging began Thursday and crews began to arrive on Friday.
But even though they were in place, one of the National Guard’s main roles is conducting search and rescue, which would not take place until after the storm
Snow drifts over the sidewalk on West Delavan Avenue in Buffalo, N.Y. on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP)
Once crews could start working, they had to travel on the same roadways as the plow drivers, EMS and power crews that got stranded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hochul said the entire situation was logistically challenging, though the number of National Guard personnel were expected to increase over the next few days.
"This is not the Christmas any of us hoped for nor expected, but try to have as merry a Christmas as possible today," Poloncarz tweeted. "Remember the holiday spirit and why we're a community of good neighbors. Again, my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones."
Erie County is where the city of Buffalo is located. Buffalo has been hit particularly hard in recent days, and Poloncarz urged people not to go there to help.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A truck remains stuck in snow along the Lake Erie shoreline on December 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images)
"If the storm has subsided near you and there is an open road, do not plan on going into the City of Buffalo to try and rescue family/friends," he tweeted. "Most of Buffalo is still impassable. Just because it looks open near you, doesn't mean you will be able to get very far a few miles away."
Poloncarz said that he has been in touch with President Biden and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to get an official disaster declaration.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The effects of the storm have hardly been limited to the northeast. Almost 94 million people across the United States were under wind chill advisories going into Christmas morning, as intense winter weather gripped most of the country. Advisories covered areas ranging from North Dakota to South Florida.
Making the cold even worse, more than 1 million Americans have suffered power outages during the cold spell. This is particularly difficult for those who rely on electricity to heat their homes.
Ice and snow cover a railing along the Lake Erie shoreline on December 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Fox Weather, temperatures are expected to increase starting on Monday. By mid-week, temperatures may be at above-average levels.