At least 55 dead in freezing storm across US

A so-called "once in a lifetime" freezing storm has claimed at least 55 lives across the United States of America.

Paralysing the Buffalo area, along with much of America, the western New York area death toll had risen to 27 yesterday, now rising, as the region suffered one of the worst weather-related disasters in its history.

Western New York was struck by the blizzard on Friday and Saturday, stranding motorists, cutting off power and preventing emergency crews from reaching residents in life-endangering situations.

It is expected that the massive storm will claim more lives, as residents across the country are still trapped inside houses without power. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are affected.

The extreme weather conditions are stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the Mexican border.

As the temperatures plummeted, about 60 per cent of the US population faced some form of winter weather advisory or warning.

The 55 dead have been found in cars, homes and in snowbanks - with some passing away while shovelling snow.

Erie County executive, Mark Poloncarz, spoke about those who've passed away in the freezing storm, saying: “Some were found in cars, some were found on the street in snowbank. We know there are people who have been stuck in cars for more than two days.”

On Sunday, the National Weather Service said the freezing arctic air “enveloping much of the eastern half of the US” will begin to move away slowly. Hurricane-force winds and snow caused whiteout conditions that paralysed emergency response efforts across Buffalo.

Kathy Hochul, New York governor, assured that almost every fire engine in the city was stranded on Saturday, imploring to the public to respect the driving ban in the region.

According to the National Weather Service, the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport sat at 1.1 metres at 7am on Sunday, December 25. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across the country, with more expected after a bomb cyclone developed near the Great Lakes. A bomb cyclone occurs when atmospheric pressure drops quickly during a strong storm, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.

The airport will remain shut until Tuesday morning, with thousands of people stranded across the states.

Forecasters warned an additional 30 - 60 centimetres of snow could be on the horizon in some areas through early Monday morning with wind gusts of approximately 40 miles per hour.

In Jackson, Mississippi, Christmas day saw city officials announced residents must now boil their drinking water due to water lines bursting in the frigid temperatures.

Police confirmed two “isolated” instances of looting during the storm.