7 people killed in snow-hit New York

A man starts to dig out his driveway in the town of Lancaster, near Buffalo. Picture: AP

Yesterday, residents, some of whom were stranded overnight in cars, braced themselves as forecasters warned of more wintry weather.

The city of Buffalo and the surrounding area was pummelled by the storm that deposited 5ft of snow before easing off, said Erie County official Richard Tobe.

The next wave was expected to arrive overnight and another 3ft of snow was forecast, he said.

Residents were reported to be trapped in their homes and cars, and strong winds and icy roads caused road accidents and forced school closures in parts of the US.

Mr Tobe said: “That’s a year’s worth of snow.” He added a state of emergency remained in effect for the area, where driving was banned on many roads and a 140-mile stretch of the road along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario was closed.

Mr Tobe said the latest death was a 46-year-old man who was found in his car buried under about 15ft of snow.

One person was killed in a traffic accident and three others died after suffering heart problems.

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There were two other weather-related deaths reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.

The snowstorm forced motorists in 150 vehicles, including a women’s basketball team, to ride out the onslaught in their vehicles. They waited for hours to be freed, some waiting more than a day.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo deployed 150 members of the National Guard to help clear roads and move vehicles.

“We have tried to get out of our house, and we are lucky to be able to shovel so we can open the door,” said Buffalo resident Linda Oakley.

“We’re just thinking that in case of an emergency we can at least get out the door,” she added. “We can’t go any further.”

Temperatures in all 50 US states dipped to freezing or below on Tuesday as a cold blast moved across the country, making it the coldest November morning nationwide since 1976.

Typically, such cold is not seen until late December through to February, according to the National Weather Service.

As of yesterday, parts of Erie County, in the west of New York State, was under 5ft of snow, with more falling, said Steven Welch, a meteorologist with the NWS.

Mr Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for ten counties.

In New Hampshire, icy roads led to accidents. Meanwhile, storms in Michigan produced 18in of snow and schools closed in the North Carolina mountains, which were surrounded by ice-coated roads. Further south, states were bracing for a record chill from the Arctic-borne cold that swept the Rocky Mountains last week.

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