By: Gabriela Aidan
What Was the Worst Snowstorm in Buffalo New York?
The winter season has come and gone for Buffalo New York and as we have all witnessed, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. There were a number of deaths and flights cancelled. Wind gusts over 70 mph and driving bans in place.
28 people confirmed dead
Erie County, New York, and the Buffalo, NY area have experienced the worst snowstorm in the region’s history. As of Monday, 28 people have been confirmed dead and more than 4,000 homes are without power. The county remains in a state of emergency.
A “bomb cyclone” formed near the Great Lakes and caused whiteout conditions. Hurricane-force winds whipped up heavy snow and ice. Emergency crews struggled to clear the area. People were buried in snow and cars stuck in icy conditions. Several car crashes were reported. Some died due to cardiac stress from plowing, exposure or EMS delays.
Emergency crews spent much of the weekend trying to locate survivors. First responders shuttled people to emergency rooms in tracked vehicles. They also dug out abandoned ambulances.
Buffalo, New York and the surrounding area received an historic 49 inches of snow during the storm. Roads were treacherous and hundreds of rescues were made. Many people were stranded in cars for days.
Driving bans in place
The blizzard that hit Buffalo and the surrounding area last week was one of the most deadly in recent years. The storm killed more than two dozen people, including at least eight people in Buffalo.
The blizzard was unlike the usual snowfall that the city is used to. It brought a whiteout and blinding winds that kept people trapped inside for two days.
As the storm hit, the Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz issued a driving ban. It is still in effect for parts of the county, including the City of Buffalo. He said the storm was the worst he has seen in his lifetime.
In addition to the driving ban, a travel advisory was also issued for parts of the city. People are urged to avoid the roads and take the subway and bus to work.
Canceled flights
Over Christmas weekend, a huge blizzard pounded western New York, freezing hundreds of thousands of homes and leaving people stranded in their vehicles. It also knocked out power to a number of communities from Maine to Washington. Some grocery stores in the area were still closed on Monday, and other businesses remained shuttered as the city prepared to deal with the aftermath of the storm.
The blizzard snarled travel plans across the country, with more than 4,200 flights canceled due to the storm system. At least 50 deaths were confirmed across the country on Monday, including two dozen in the state of New York.
Officials expected the death toll to increase as snow continued to fall. Some people were found dead inside their cars in whiteout conditions. Others were discovered in their homes or snow banks.
Wind gusts of 70 mph
A winter storm has caused a massive blizzard in Buffalo, New York. Snow and ice have blocked roads, power lines and substations, and emergency workers are struggling to rescue people stranded in their cars.
More than 20,000 people were left without power in the area. Wind gusts reached 70 mph in some areas of the city. This has led to a state of emergency in Erie County, which includes Buffalo.
The storm has pushed waves on Lake Erie to a record height of over 20 feet, and the lake level is now 1.67 feet below the December 2, 1985 level. Forecasters said snow and ice will continue falling across the region through the weekend.
As of midday Saturday, Erie County’s temperature had dropped to 4 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, a blizzard warning will remain in effect until 7am on Sunday.
Death toll
The winter storm in Buffalo, New York has killed at least 14 people. Officials say that the death toll could be much higher. The blizzard has been the deadliest in the area’s history.
As of Friday, more than four feet of snow had fallen on the city. Hundreds of rescues have been conducted. Emergency vehicles stuck in the snow made it difficult to reach stranded residents.
Emergency crews discovered the bodies of people in snow banks and buried cars. Some died in car crashes, while others died due to cardiac stress while shoveling the snow.
Erie County has been hard hit by the storm. It is estimated that 43 inches of snow have buried parts of the county. The blizzard has also closed down the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. A regional driving ban remains in place.
