Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/NEW YORK: The prolonged winter storm that caused heavy snowfall, strong winds, and freezing temperatures in the past week in most of the United States has claimed at least 37 lives, and left hundreds of thousands of people without power.
Officials said Buffalo, in New York state, was the most severely impacted area, where 43 inches of snow fell as of Sunday morning. The snowfall and blizzard conditions have made it impossible to commute on road, and froze power substations, said officials of Erie County in New York, according to CNN.
The storm eased slightly on Sunday, with forecasters saying that conditions will further improve in the next few days. However, the public has still been advised to avoid traveling unless essential.
Christmas plans wrecked amid an unprecedented blizzard
The ongoing winter storm – one of the worst ever in the country – also wrecked Christmas plans in the region. Alongside road blockages and market closures, thousands of flights were also canceled, preventing many from reaching their families to spend the holiday season.
Officials say the scope of the winter storm ” has been unprecedented, stretching from the north in Canada to down in the south as far as the Rio Grande. Over 55 million Americans remained under wind chill alerts on Christmas morning.
As of Sunday afternoon, nearly 200,000 customers were without power, down from a peak of 1.7 million, reported the Associated Press.
