New York winter storm death toll at 34 with more snow on the way

As Buffalo, New York, reeled from a historic winter storm that left at least 34 dead, first responders charged with the grim task of looking for more victims battled snow drifts and sub-freezing temperatures.

The Buffalo police commissioner, Joseph Gramaglia, told reporters he expected more bodies to be found as snow was moved. Buffalo police had around 1,000 outstanding 911 calls though some may be duplicates, he said.

Police were fixing yellow crime scene tape to the side mirrors of abandoned vehicles after they had been checked for fatalities.

For many residents, immediate relief remained out of sight. Driving bans remained and many grocery stores were shuttered.

Adding to the misery, after 4ft of snow fell over Christmas another 7.3in fell on Monday, bringing totals for the season to more than 100in.

Among fatalities attributed to the storm, three people were found dead in their vehicles, four died without heat in their homes, three died from cardiac events related to shoveling or other snow-clearing and three died after emergency services were delayed.

One victim, 22-year-old Anndel Taylor, died after being trapped in her car for 18 hours in which she reportedly exchanged videos with her sisters in North Carolina, the New York Post reported. In the last video, Taylor rolled down a window to show a van also trapped.

Melissa Carrick, a doula, said the blizzard forced her to coach a client through childbirth by phone. An ambulance crew eventually transported the woman to hospital about 45 minutes south of Buffalo, because no closer hospitals were reachable.

Scientists said climate change may have contributed to the intensity of the storm. That is because the atmosphere can carry more water vapor, which acts as fuel, said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Relief was coming, as forecasts predicted temperatures would rise. The NWS said it expected more snow on Tuesday morning followed by temperatures above freezing.

Across the US, thousands of domestic and international flights were canceled on Monday. The FlightAware website said Southwest Airlines had 2,497 cancellations, about 60% of scheduled flights, about 10 times as many as any other major US carrier.

The US Department of Transportation said it would look into Southwest cancellations that left travelers stranded across the country.

Based on FlightAware data, airports all across the US suffered cancellations and delays, including Denver, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Seattle, Baltimore and Chicago. Buffalo Niagara international airport was due to be shut through Wednesday.

The storm knocked out power from Maine to Seattle. Storm-related deaths were reported nationwide, including at least eight killed in crashes in Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky. A woman fell through river ice in Wisconsin and there was a fatal fire at a Kansas homeless camp.

In Jackson, Mississippi, crews struggled to get water through the beleaguered water system, authorities said. Many areas had no water or low pressure. On Christmas Day, residents were told to boil drinking water due to water lines bursting in the cold.