BUFFALO, N.Y. – Blizzard conditions driven by lake-effect snow continued in western New York on Christmas, where officials are calling this the worst winter storm in decades.
Several feet of snow effectively buried roads and homes in Eerie County, including Watertown, Hamburg and Buffalo, New York.
During a news conference on Christmas morning, Eerie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the snowstorm “a major disaster” comparable to the blizzard of 1977 and worse than the historic blizzard in November.
Four more deaths from the blizzard were confirmed on Christmas, bringing the death toll to at least seven people in western New York throughout the winter storm, according to Eerie County officials. Some victims were found in vehicles, while others were found frozen under other circumstances.
Across the country, the Christmas week winter storm is being blamed for at least 21 deaths due to weather-related crashes and exposure.
After 48 hours of snowfall with rates up to 3 inches per hour, a driving ban continues for Eerie County on Sunday. Sheriff’s deputies have conducted more than 50 rescues throughout the storm using snowmobiles and special operations.
County officials said whiteout conditions were so bad ambulances had to be abandoned during an hours-long period when first responders could not respond to calls because conditions were so dangerous.
“Many areas are still impassable,” Poloncarz said, adding areas cleared by snowplow drivers on Christmas Eve were covered again by Christmas morning.
DEADLY CHRISTMAS WEEK BLIZZARD BECOMES BOMB CYCLONE
“These are communities that usually work very hard to make sure there is not even a snowflake on the road,” the county executive said.
Eerie County officials have been in contact with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who declared a New York state of emergency on Saturday. Eerie County officials have also spoken with the Biden Administration, seeking federal help, according to Poloncarz.
“This is a snowstorm that will never be forgotten,” Poloncarz said.
Over 26,000 in Eerie County are without power on Christmas morning, with more than 20,000 out in Buffalo.
Two county warming centers had to close because they lost power during the storm.
Snow and ice are causing power outages across Western New York, where substations in Buffalo are snowed in and frozen, according to Poloncarz.
RECORD-BREAKING COLD, LIFE-THREATENING WIND CHILLS PLUNGE 150 MILLION AMERICANS INTO DEEP FREEZE
The problem is not just ice and snow bringing power lines down, but the substations in Buffalo are frozen over.
Equipment is being brought in to get the substations back up and running. It’s possible some areas will not have power restored until Monday morning.
“I know this is not the news people want to hear on Christmas day,” Poloncarz said.
Bands of heavy lake-effect snow with gusting 35 mph winds continued to move into parts of Jefferson, southern Eerie, Lewis and Chautauqua throughout Sunday morning.
The FOX Forecast Center said lake-effect snowfall rates would sometimes exceed 3 inches an hour.
More than 2-4 feet of additional snow is likely across western New York. Some locations near Lake Eerie in New York have already received between 5-6 feet of snow throughout the Christmas week bomb cyclone.
Orchard Park, New York, has picked up more than 6.5 feet throughout the weather event, and Hamburg has received 71 inches.
The Buffalo International Airport recorded 43 inches of snow in 48 hours.
Mounds of snow surrounded the Buffalo National Weather Service office on Sunday before sunrise.
“Here’s a view of our office with some rather impressive snow mounds in the foreground,” the NWS Buffalo tweeted. “Many (many) cars are still buried throughout the area.”