34 die as monster storm brings rain, snow across US

Millions of people hunkered down against a deep freeze to ride out a winter storm that has killed at least 34 people across the United States and is expected to claim more lives after trapping some residents inside houses with heaping snow drifts. (AP)

It all started farther north, as frigid air collected over the snow-covered ground in the Arctic. In this picture, a person clears snow as a winter storm rolls through Western New York. (AP)

An arctic blast has brought extreme cold, heavy snow and intense wind across much of the US just in time for the holidays. (AP)

Seen here is a lone pedestrian in snow shoes making his way across the Colonial Circle. (AP)

These severe weather events usually form over bodies of water, which have lots of warmth and moisture to feed the storm. (AP)

The National Weather Service said the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 43 inches (109 centimeters) at 7 a.m. Sunday. (AP)

About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said. (AP)

With snow swirling down untouched and impassable streets, forecasters warned an additional 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) of snow was possible in some areas through early Monday morning amid wind gusts of 40 mph (64 kph). (AP)

Traveler's weather woes are likely to continue, with hundreds of flight cancellations already and more expected after a bomb cyclone when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm. (AP)

The storm unleashed its full fury on Buffalo, with hurricane-force winds and snow causing whiteout conditions, paralyzing emergency response efforts. In this, football fans watch pregame warmups before an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints. (AP)

Freezing conditions and day-old power outages had Buffalonians scrambling to get to anywhere that had heat amid what Hochul called the longest sustained blizzard conditions ever in the city. Here, a man dressed as Santa Claus rides his bike through the wintery streets. (AP)