More than 200,000 citizens woke up today, Sunday, without electricity due to the winter storm that has been going on for days in the eastern United States, which left more than 20 people dead.
The severe weather, a combination of blizzards and exceptionally cold weather, brought icy winds to 48 contiguous states over the weekend.
Travelers have been stranded with thousands of flights canceled, while residents have been stuck in their homes covered in snow and ice.
There were 22 deaths in 8 states, including at least 7 in western New York, where snow fell, strong winds and freezing cold lashed Erie County and its main city, Buffalo.
NEW VIDEO: Snow drifts are reaching the height of SUVs in the Buffalo area as this historic blizzard gradually winds down.
Some cars have been abandoned in the middle of roads during the height of the lake-effect snowstorm.
#NYwx #snow pic.twitter.com/0v90aofgsX
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) December 25, 2022
Buffalo remained in a "major disaster", with emergency services unable to reach many of its hard-hit areas, according to a senior official.
"We have 7 confirmed deaths at this point as a result of the storm," county official Mark Polonkarz told reporters, adding that "there could be more."
Poloncars described the harsh conditions, talking about the discovery of frozen bodies in cars and under blocks of snow, prompting New York Governor Kathy Hochel to seek the help of the National Guard to assist in rescue operations.
"It was as bad as anyone has ever experienced," the county official said.
The National Weather Service warned that Great Lakes snow storms will continue through Christmas with "additional snow accumulations overnight".
The transportation disruption affected millions of Americans.
The storm also led to the cancellation of more than 1,500 flights today, after canceling about 3,500 flights on Saturday and about 6,000 flights on Friday, according to the specialized tracking website, FlightAware.
"Most severe disruptions are behind us as airline and airport operations gradually recover," Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter yesterday.
The snow has led to the temporary closure of some of the busiest roads, including Highway 70, which crosses the country.
The weather has also affected power grids, and many power providers have urged customers to reduce usage to reduce power outages.
More than 1.6 million subscribers were confirmed to have lost power yesterday, and some regional railways and bus lines were also closed.
But the number had fallen sharply by Sunday, although more than 200,000 subscribers in the eastern states were still without power.
In turn, the Canadian authorities issued severe weather warnings.
Hundreds of thousands of people were without power in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, many flights were canceled in major cities and train service between Toronto and Ottawa was suspended.