The National Weather Service reported on Tuesday that “very heavy snow” was still being produced by the catastrophic blizzard that has killed at least 57 people throughout the United States.
In a 5:45 a.m. ET alert, it warned that wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph could swiftly reduce visibility and that 1 to 2 inches of snow were falling per hour in some areas of storm-weary New York.
Later in the morning, the meteorological service predicted that “the snow will pile so quickly that it will be very difficult for the road staff to maintain the roads clear.”
With 27 fatalities overall—including 18 in Buffalo—Erie County, New York was especially hard hit by the blinding snowstorm.