Death toll for December snowstorm now reported at 47 in Buffalo area

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The death toll for the December snowstorm is now reported at 47 people across the Buffalo area. Erie County has 46 of those deaths and Niagra County has one.

The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed three more blizzard-related deaths on Thursday.

The blizzard brought dangerous cold, strong winds, and power outages on December 23 and several days after. Those conditions made search-and-rescue missions a challenge.

Among the deaths include a man found in a snowbank who later died of his injuries and a woman who died from lack of oxygen during a power outage.