Live winter storm updates: Driving ban enforced in hard-hit Buffalo - USA TODAY

More snowfall fell in Buffalo connected Tuesday after a historic and brutal wintertime storm buried the portion as officials count fatalities 3 days following western New York’s deadliest tempest successful astatine slightest 2 generations.

Already overwhelmed with a mounting decease toll, wide powerfulness outages, and a driving prohibition that's being enforced by subject police, the portion braced for up to 2 much inches of snowfall throughout western New York done Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

“This is not the extremity yet,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, calling the blizzard “the worst tempest astir apt successful our lifetime.” 

The tempest system, which began earlier Christmas, pounded Buffalo with arsenic overmuch arsenic 49 inches of snowfall successful caller days. Those who died successful the blizzard – one of the worst weather-related disasters successful the region's history – were recovered successful cars, homes and snowbanks. Poloncarz confirmed the storm-related decease toll successful the region astatine 28 successful a quality conference Tuesday.

A driving prohibition remained in effect for the metropolis arsenic of Tuesday, and National Guard subject constabulary were sent to negociate postulation due to the fact that galore residents are defying the ban, Poloncarz said. Crews were moving to wide roads that are inactive blocked to make pathways for exigency vehicles.

“People conscionable are ignoring the driving ban. I don’t cognize what to accidental astatine this point," Poloncarz said. "I'm begging: Stay home."

Conditions crossed the state weren't overmuch amended with fierce wintertime conditions trapping radical successful homes from Maine to Washington authorities and causing wide formation cancellations, with a mounting decease toll crossed the US of much than 50.

A thaw whitethorn beryllium coming Wednesday, on with imaginable flooding

Some alleviation is successful sight: On Wednesday, a warm beforehand is expected to determination crossed northbound cardinal New York, raising temperatures supra freezing, forecasters say.

Ashton Robinson Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the bomb cyclone – erstwhile atmospheric unit drops precise rapidly successful a beardown tempest – has weakened. It developed adjacent the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions.

Some milder aerial has already made its mode into occidental New York, and temperatures volition emergence implicit the adjacent fewer days into the 40s and perchance adjacent the 50s, according to Tom Kines, elder meteorologist astatine Accuweather.

"The quality is generally bully for that full country implicit the adjacent respective days due to the fact that it is warming up and there's nary large snowstorms successful sight," Kines told USA TODAY.

Kines said determination was a imaginable hazard for insignificant flooding successful the Buffalo area arsenic it thaws but lone if the area, which includes Lake Erie, sees much snow. County Emergency Services Commissioner Dan Neaverth Jr. said officials were somewhat acrophobic implicit the imaginable threat.

Flight cancellations mount, Biden vows to clasp airlines 'accountable'

More than 3,000 flights were canceled within, into or retired of the U.S. for Tuesday arsenic of astir 8 a.m. Eastern time, according to FlightAware.

Flight cancellations by aggregate airlines due to the fact that of the storm have near thousands of travelers stranded astatine airports crossed the country.

President Joe Biden said his medication would hold airlines accountable for the wide cancellations and directed travelers to the Department of Transportation to spot if they were eligible for compensation. The Department of Transportation said it would examine Southwest Airlines' cancellations successful particular, which accounted for the bulk of disruptions.

Airlines could spot further problems aboriginal successful the week arsenic temperatures emergence eastbound of the Rocky Mountains and fog becomes a larger factor, Kines said.

"That's going to beryllium thing to ticker retired for as the week progresses," helium said. "This clip around, we won't person to woody with the snowfall but the fog could beryllium an contented for those that are traveling.

FLIGHTS ON HOLD: Nearly 2/3 of Southwest Airlines flights are canceled Tuesday. Here's what travelers should know.

Storm and grounds acold took a toll crossed overmuch of the nation

The tempest and grounds acold were felt crossed overmuch of the federation implicit the weekend, knocking retired powerfulness to respective 100 thousands of homes and businesses, canceling thousands of flights and starring to a big of different problems. 

Major cities crossed the South have experienced h2o problems because of the storms, including Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta and Charleston, South Carolina. Much of Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi, remain under a boil-water advisory due to the fact that of broken h2o mains, a nonaccomplishment successful strategy unit and burst pipes successful immoderate areas.

At slightest 50 deaths nationwide are blamed connected the storm, including successful car accidents, from cardiac events portion shoveling snowfall and astatine slightest 1 decease from carbon monoxide poisoning wrong a home.

Buffalo sees looters during unprecedented storm 

Authorities made respective arrests amid looting successful Buffalo during the storm, section media reported. Social media was flooded with photos and video showing radical wrong stores with breached windows successful Erie County.

One video showed shelves mostly bare successful respective dollar stores successful the country with nutrient and covering strewn wildly connected the floor. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told WIVB News 4 officers made respective arrests and helped astatine slightest 1 store get boarded up aft vandals broke in. 

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown called the looters "absolutely reprehensible."

"I don’t cognize however these radical tin adjacent unrecorded with themselves, however they tin look astatine themselves successful the mirror," Brown said. "They are the lowest of the low."

While the tempest and its toll connected occidental New York was unprecedented for residents, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned the authorities and the state should expect and beryllium prepared for much of this benignant of weather.

"Historic storms are nary longer historical to us," she said Monday. "That's go a mode of beingness successful our authorities and that's a effect of clime change."

What is lake-effect snow?

Lake-effect snow, which tin past for lone a fewer minutes to respective days, develops from constrictive bands of clouds that signifier erstwhile cold, adust arctic aerial passes implicit a large, comparatively mild lake.

Buffalo, which is close adjacent to Lake Erie, ranks among the snowiest large cities arsenic a result.

During this week's storm, the aerial wide implicit Lake Erie was "extremely cold" implicit the comparatively lukewarm waters of the lake, with winds that acceptable up a snowfall set dumping aggravated snowfall for days, according to Dan Pydynowski, elder meteorologist astatine Accuweather.

"Both Lake Erie and Ontario conscionable produced a precise aggravated lake-effect snow," helium said. "Not lone are you dealing with dense snow, you're dealing with blizzard conditions. ...  All those factors combined to marque a precise aggravated outbreak that's yet conscionable letting up now."

Contributing: The Associated Press; Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean