Christmas winter storm: Millions of Americans are crouching from the cold

BUFFALO, NY — Millions of people ducked into the extreme freeze on Sunday to weather the winter storm that powers tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

The storm’s range was nearly unprecedented, from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande River along the border with Mexico. About 60% of Americans faced some kind of winter weather advisory or warning, with temperatures well below normal east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian Mountains, the National Weather Service said.

Travelers’ weather woes are likely to continue, with hundreds of flight cancellations already bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure dropped rapidly during a strong storm — occurred near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions such as high winds and snow. About 1,707 domestic and international flights were canceled around 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, according to tracking site FlightAware.

storm Hurricane-force winds and snow created whiteout conditions that paralyzed emergency response efforts and ravaged Buffalo. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said nearly all fire trucks in the city were stranded Saturday. Officials said the airport will be closed until Tuesday morning. Total snowfall at Buffalo Niagara International Airport was 43 inches (109 cm) as of 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

By day, six-foot snowdrifts and thousands of home-covered cars are revealed, some adorned with unlit holiday displays, underpowered and dark. With the snow billowing, forecasters warned that an additional foot or two of snow could fall in some areas by early Monday morning in gusts of 40 mph.

Two people died Friday at their home outside Cheektowaga, N.Y., and another died in Buffalo after paramedics failed to treat their condition in time. Overnight, he had four more confirmed deaths, bringing the total to seven in Erie County. County administrator Mark Polonkers warned that there could be more deaths.

“Some were found in cars, others were found on the road in snowballs. We know there are people stuck in their cars for more than two days.”

Sub-zero conditions and a day-long power outage forced Buffalo residents to rush to hot spots. Hochul called it the city’s longest continuous blizzard ever. But with all-white roads, it wasn’t an option for people like Jeremy Manahan, who charged his cell phone in a parked car after nearly 29 hours of power outages.

“We have one warming shelter, but it’s too far to get there. “And he can’t be outside for more than 10 minutes without getting frostbite.”

Dijak Ilunga of Gaithersburg, Md., was en route to spending Christmas with his daughters on Friday to visit relatives in Hamilton, Ontario when his SUV got stuck in Buffalo. Instead, they left their engines running for hours, swaying in the wind and almost buried in the snow.

By 4am on Saturday, fuel was almost gone, so Ilunga made the desperate choice to risk a howling storm to reach a nearby shelter. He carried his 6-year-old Destiny on his back, while 16-year-old Cindy cradled a Pomeranian puppy and followed in his footsteps during the drift.

Two people died Friday at their home outside Cheektowaga, N.Y., and another died in Buffalo after paramedics failed to treat their condition in time. Overnight, he had four more confirmed deaths, bringing the total to seven in Erie County. County administrator Mark Polonkers warned that there could be more deaths.

“Some were found in cars, others were found on the road in snowballs. We know there are people stuck in their cars for more than two days.”

Sub-zero conditions and a day-long power outage forced Buffalo residents to rush to hot spots. Hochul called it the city’s longest continuous blizzard ever. But with all-white roads, it wasn’t an option for people like Jeremy Manahan, who charged his cell phone in a parked car after nearly 29 hours of power outages.

“We have one warming shelter, but it’s too far to get there. “And he can’t be outside for more than 10 minutes without getting frostbite.”

Dijak Ilunga of Gaithersburg, Md., was en route to spending Christmas with his daughters on Friday to visit relatives in Hamilton, Ontario when his SUV got stuck in Buffalo. Instead, they left their engines running for hours, swaying in the wind and almost buried in the snow.

By 4am on Saturday, fuel was almost gone, so Ilunga made the desperate choice to risk a howling storm to reach a nearby shelter. He carried his 6-year-old Destiny on his back, while 16-year-old Cindy cradled a Pomeranian puppy and followed in his footsteps during the drift.

Breiburg reported from Dallas. His AP journalist Mark Levy, who lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Corey Williams of Southfield, Michigan. John Lavy of Charleston, West Virginia. Maysoon Khan of Albany, New York. Hannah Schoenbaum of Raleigh, North Carolina. Wilson Ring in Stowe, Vermont. John Hanna of Topeka, Kansas contributed to this report.