Buffalo historic worst winter storm, death toll increases to 34

“It looks like the worst could be behind them,” Brian Thompson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather told.

The worst of the historic winter weather is likely behind western New York as temperatures were forecast to rise Wednesday and allow the region to thaw, a trend meteorologists say was set to spread across large swaths of the U.S.

However, the terrible effects of the hurricane are still having an impact on the town this week. Officials confirmed in a Wednesday morning update that the death toll in Erie County, which includes Buffalo – the region hardest hit by the storm – increased to 34.

The storm dumped more than 50 inches of snow on the city since Christmas Eve and was accompanied by bitter cold temperatures and powerful winds, with gusts reaching more than 70 mph at times, according to the National Weather Service.

It was expected that those conditions will disappear on Wednesday when temperatures rose into the 40s and 50s throughout week. There was a chance of flooding because of the forecasted rain and melted snow.

According to  Brian Thompson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, “temperatures in some regions of the country, such as the Midwest, were predicted to be 10 to 20 degrees above average.”

In the West, the National Weather Service reported on Wednesday morning that a strong and active wet storm is due to impact that region of the country over the course of the next few days, bringing with it forecasts of moderate to heavy rain, mountain snow, and some flood threats.

Power cut in all region, Inquiry started

With massive power outages reported across the nation, the winter storm that shook much of the United States during the holiday weekend also left millions in the dark.

A joint inquiry “into the operations of the bulk power system under the extreme winter weather conditions that occurred” during the winter storm was announced by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and regional organizations on Wednesday.

Death toll increases to 34 and could rise

Officials confirmed in a morning update that the death toll in Erie County increased to 34 on Wednesday. Three of the deceased have not yet been identified.

In the upcoming days, it’s possible that the county will recover more victims. In areas of Buffalo and its suburbs on Wednesday, the National Guard was knocking on doors to check on residents who had lost electricity. Officials are “fearful that there are (more) victims who may have perished” during the storm, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Driving ban in Buffalo region

Officials stated on Twitter and in the county’s Wednesday morning update that Buffalo’s driving ban remained in effect on Wednesday to keep people off snow-covered roadways. Driving advice was in effect for the remainder of Erie County.

Tuesday have seen the deployment of state and military police to assist in enforcing the driving restriction. Although the majority of the area’s major highways and several suburban roads were reopened, Poloncarz announced on Tuesday that police would be stationed at key intersections and at the entrances to Buffalo because some motorists were disobeying the prohibition.

Flight cancellations continue

According to FlightAware, more than 2,800 flights inside, into, or out of the United States were canceled on Wednesday by 12:30 p.m. ET, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports around the nation. Additionally, Thursday already had nearly 2,370 flights cancelled.

President Joe Biden promised to hold airlines accountable for the widespread cancellations and advised passengers to contact the Department of Transportation to determine whether they qualified for compensation. The majority of interruptions were caused by Southwest Airlines cancellations, which the Department of Transportation stated it will specifically look into.