Winter storm system blamed for at least 48 deaths

A blizzard that hit Buffalo in western New York over the holiday weekend more than doubled the number of deaths blamed on a single winter storm. At least 27 people in the Buffalo area were found dead in their cars, homes, and snowbanks—a few died while shoveling snow. Rescue efforts continued Monday, but more deaths are expected as the storm trapped many inside their homes. Temperatures later this week are forecast to slowly rise, said Ashton Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

What about the winter weather beyond Buffalo? About 60 percent of the United States received winter weather warnings or advisories about the same storm, which stretched from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. Internationally, heavy snows in Japan caused at least 17 deaths as of Monday morning, Japanese officials said.

Dig Deeper: Read Janie B. Cheaney’s column for WORLD Magazine about crying to God amid tragedy.