In Pictures

Photos: Deadly blizzard rages in US, Canada on Christmas

Millions of people hunker down against a deep freeze to ride out the winter storm.

Snow plows clear the roads following a winter storm that hit the Buffalo region in the state of New York, the US. — Snow ploughs clear the roads in Lancaster, New York, near Buffalo, one of the areas hit hardest by the winter storm. [Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

A relentless winter storm brought Christmas Day danger and misery to millions of Americans as intense snow and frigid cold gripped parts of the eastern United States and raised weather-related deaths to at least 24.

A crisis situation was unfolding on Sunday in Buffalo in western New York, where a blizzard left the city marooned and prevented emergency services from reaching high-impact areas.

The Buffalo storm is “a crisis of epic proportion” and “the worst of the worst”, said New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a native of Buffalo, where 2.4-metre (8-foot) snow drifts against front doors and power outages in freezing temperatures have created life-threatening conditions.

More than 200,000 people across several eastern states woke up without power on Christmas morning, and many more had their holiday travel plans upended although the five-day-long storm featuring blizzard conditions and ferocious winds showed signs of easing.

The extreme weather sent wind chill temperatures in all 48 contiguous US states below freezing over the weekend, cancelled thousands of flights, stranded holiday travellers and trapped residents in ice- and snow-encrusted homes.

The two dozen weather-related deaths were confirmed across eight states, but some US media reported as many as 30 storm-linked fatalities, including four people in Colorado who likely died of exposure and at least seven in western New York.

In Canada, hundreds of thousands of people were left without power in Ontario and Quebec, many flights were canceled in major cities and train passenger service between Toronto and Ottawa was suspended.

An inflatable Santa Claus was brought down by strong winds during the winter storm in Toronto, the capital of Ontario, Canada. [Carlos Osorio/Reuters]

Hoak's restaurant is covered in ice from the spray of Lake Erie waves during a winter storm that hit the Buffalo region in Hamburg, New York — Hoak's restaurant is encased in ice from the spray of Lake Erie in Hamburg, New York, during a winter storm that hit the eastern US and Canada. [Kevin Hoak/via Reuters]

Snow blankets a neighborhood in Buffalo — At least two dozen people have been killed across the United States by the storm, which caused power outages for several hundred thousand homes, blocked roads, trapped people in their homes and caused accidents. [Carolyn Thompson/AP]