Western NY death toll continues to climb as winter storm rages on

The snow continues to fall and the number of casualties continues to climb in Western New York, as one of the most severe winter storms in the region’s recorded history pummels residents.

As of early Monday afternoon reports said the death toll in was at 27, but Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz had that number at 25. Earlier he had noted that there may be others that were not confirmed as storm-related.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said that police had recovered 18 bodies in the city.

“This has been a very difficult and dangerous storm,” Brown said. 

Some of those fatalities were the result of people freezing to death while stranded in their cars.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said at the news conference when it comes to the storm, there is more to come.

“As much as we can see in the sky, we know the storm is coming back,” Hochul said, adding that there is a forecast for “another six to 12 inches” of snow.The governor said that while the worst may be over, it is “way too early” to say the storm itself is a thing of the past.

Hochul also said she has been working with the Biden administration to obtain federal resources to help.

WINTER STORM KILLS AT LEAST 12 IN NEW YORK, WITH MORE DEATHS EXPECTED TO BE ANNOUNCED

The high wind blows the snow across a neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. A battering winter storm has knocked out power to 1.7 million homes and businesses across the United States on Saturday. Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday that the Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be closed through Monday morning, some roads would be closed through Christmas Day and almost every fire truck in Buffalo was stranded in the snow.
(AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson)

According to the National Weather Service, the temperature in Buffalo was 16 degrees early Monday morning with continued snow. Poloncarz announced that a driving ban in remained in effect for Buffalo, Lackawanna, Amherst, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Evans, Hamburg, Orchard Park and West Seneca. He said that as of Monday at 7 a.m., the ban would be lifted in other parts of the county.

“The Thruway and NYS route are still closed,” he noted.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, WINTER STORM LEAVES THREE DEAD AS AREA BURIED IN 28 INCHES OF SNOW: ‘LIFE THREATENING’

Ice and snow cover a railing along the Lake Erie shoreline on Dec. 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York.
(Photo by John Normile/Getty Images)

Power outages have also plagued the Empire State during the freezing weather. As of Monday morning, the National Grid had reported that 13,377 people had been impacted by outages, with 12,426 of them located in Erie County.

Poloncarz said that the number in Erie County is still down significantly from Sunday morning, when 26,404 were without power, “so good progress has been made.”

BLIZZARD WARNINGS IN EFFECT AS WINTER STORM HITS PLAINS, MIDWEST, FORECASTERS ADVISE TO ‘AVOID TRAVEL’

A truck remains stuck in snow along the Lake Erie shoreline on Dec. 24, 2022 in Hamburg, New York.
(Photo by John Normile/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP