Winter storm Elliott – latest: Driving ban lifted in Buffalo as blizzard deaths hit 38
Buffalo region worst affected in US with at least 38 deaths after blizzard dumped 50 inches of snow on city
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Your support makes all the difference.One of the coldest Christmases in modern memory has left more than 60 people dead across the US, with 38 people killed in and around the city of Buffalo, which was hammered by over 50 inches of snow.
Nearly a week after the extreme blizzard, the driving ban in Buffalo was lifted on Thursday, although motorists have been advised to be careful around snow-removal equipment and at intersections.
“Hundreds of very large pieces of equipment will still be out clearing streets from curb-to-curb,” Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz warned in a tweet.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Poloncarz confirmed three additional deaths, marking the deadliest storm in western New York in at least two generations.
National Guard went door to door conducting welfare checks in neighbourhoods that lost electricity. As the city continues to dig out of the storm, the death toll is expected to climb further.
Beyond New York state, winter storm Elliott’s icy bite also saw temperatures plunge to record lows in parts of Montana, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming, and wrought havoc on Christmas travel plans.
At least 17 people have died in multi-vehicle pileups on perilous roads and from medical emergencies after first responders struggled in Storm Elliott’s blizzard conditions.
VIDEO: Despite freezing bitter cold temperatures, last-minute Christmas shoppers layer up and shop
Storm death toll rises to 18
At least 18 people have now died in a major winter storm pummelling the US over Christmas.
The death toll rose by one on Christmas Day, as the arctic conditions have left travellers stranded and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the country.
Satellite imagery shows storm Elliot’s path across US
Satellite imagery is showing how storm Elliot is pummelling the US from coast to coast.
At least 18 people have died, thousands are stranded due to travel disruptions and millions are without power as North America faces it’s coldest Christmas on record.
Images from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) show how the storm is stretching from Canada all the way to Florida.
Andrea Blanco and Louise Boyle have the full story.
Satellite images show winter storm Elliot’s deadly path through the US
Satellite images sourced by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show Elliot’s path from coast to coast
Thousands of flights grounded as winter storm death toll rises to 18
Temperatures fell to as low as -40C in some areas, Graig Graziosi reports.
Thousands of flights grounded as winter storm death toll rises to 18
Temperatures fell to as low as -40C in some areas
More than 175,000 utility customers still without power
More than 175,000 utility customers across the US remained without power on Sunday morning, according to poweroutage.us. That number is down from around 1.5 million on Friday.
Meanwhile, more than 1,400 flights were cancelled in the US as of Sunday morning, according to Flightaware.com. That number is down from the 3,488 flights cancelled on Saturday.
18 dead and 1.6 million without power in US’ coldest Christmas ever
America is facing its coldest Christmas on record as large parts of the country suffer from ice storms, whiteouts and sub-zero temperatures.
At least 1.6 million people were without power on Christmas Day, thousands were stranded at airports and train stations and at least 18 people were killed during storm Elliot.
The National Weather Service described the storm as “one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever”.
Louise Boyle has the full story.
US freezes in coldest Christmas in memory as 1.6m without power, thousands stranded
Thousands of flights were cancelled across the country in recent days and some airports forced to shut
More than 125,995 households still without power
According to poweroutage.us, as of 12pm PST, there were still more than 125,000 households in the US without power.
1,700 flights cancelled on Christmas Day
The wild winter weather has now seen more than 1,700 flights cancelled in the US on Christmas Day, according to FlightAware.
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