Bodies Found in Cars & Homes as US Bomb Cyclone Rages On

Stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande River along the border with Mexico, the snowstorm that has gripped parts of the United States has been almost unprecedented in its scope, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), as temperatures nosedived drastically below normal causing blizzard conditions.

The deadly bomb cyclone that has battered parts of the US is continuing to rake up a death toll, as bodies are being discovered in cars and homes that have been snowed in. Some people died as ambulances could not reach them in time. Others suffered cardiac arrests while shovelling snow.

Across the United States, there are reports of around 62 blizzard-related deaths, with the death toll in the New York state city of Buffalo rising to 28.

According to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's office, December 27 resulted in seven more deaths, with more victims of the inclement weather expected.

"All of the numbers have not caught up at this time. We know that the [Erie] county number is larger," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said.

Too many people were disregarding the ban on driving in the unsafe weather conditions, County Executive Mark Poloncarz told media during a briefing on the recovery efforts in Erie County, which includes Buffalo. Speaking on Tuesday as another two inches (5.08 cm) of snow were predicted to fall by the end of the day in the area, Poloncarz pleaded with residents:

"Please, I'm begging, stay home... Please, please, do not drive in the city of Buffalo, unless you are emergency personnel."

Screenshot of Twitter account of Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz

© Photo : Twitter

100 military police along with troops from the New York State Police Department have been brought in to help with the search-and-rescue operations, added Mark Poloncarz. He explained that they would be stationed at entrances to Buffalo and at major intersections to enforce the driving ban still in place. According to Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gragmalia, looting was "still going on" in some parts of the city, with four people arrested to date.

Meanwhile, around 4,000 people in the area remain without power and thousands of flights have been cancelled, with people stranded at airports.

The meteorological term for the weather phenomenon that has gripped parts of the US throughout the Christmas holidays is "bombogenesis," and it happens when a storm system's central pressure drops at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.

As the National Weather Service cautiously predicted that Tuesday's snow might be the last, officials warned that warming temperatures in the region might lead to flooding as snow begins to thaw. This set Erie County authorities in a rush to remove ice and blockages from storm drains.