The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Travel chaos ensues while death toll rises from historic blizzard
Start your day with the latest weather news – deadly blizzard paralyzes western New York, passengers stranded after thousands of flights were canceled and wet weather is coming to the West.
At least 27 deaths in Erie County, NY due to blizzard
At least 27 deaths have been confirmed in Erie County, New York from a Christmas week blizzard. More than 4 feet of snow has fallen in the Buffalo area while travel bans remain in place.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, and there are only four days left in the year.
Start your day the right way with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
Death toll rises in western New York
A deadly blizzard has crippled western New York, and the death toll continues to rise. As of Tuesday morning, at least 27 have been killed when feet of snow covered Erie County over the Christmas holiday weekend.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Monday evening that President Biden had approved a request for a federal emergency declaration.
More than 5-6 feet of snow effectively buried roads and homes in Erie County, including Watertown, Hamburg and Buffalo, New York.
Things to know:
- Snow shoveling safety: The easiest and safest way to clear that driveway after a big snowstorm
- How to successfully dig your car out from the snow, after you find it
- Removing ice from your windshield can be easy - if you do it the right way
Thousands of flights canceled as airlines recover from blizzard
A graphic showing the latest Southwest Airlines flight disruptions as of Tuesday morning. (FOX Weather)
More than 3,800 flights were canceled Monday as airlines work to recover from a deadly Christmas blizzard. Southwest Airlines held a majority of those cancellations, with more than 2,800 flights canceled.
"As the storm continued to sweep across the country, it continued to impact many of our larger stations and so the cancellations just compiled one after another — to 100 (flights), to 150, to 1,000," said Jay McVay, with Southwest Airlines.
Things to know:
- What to do if your flight is canceled
- Here's what you can do if your luggage is delayed, lost or damaged
- How does de-icing work? Inside United Airlines' winter operations at its largest hub
Atmospheric river bringing wet weather to the West
Several inches of rain could fall across the West over the next week. (FOX Weather)
An atmospheric river continues to bring rain to parts of the West, including Washington, Oregon and California and will overspread much of the region with wet weather on Tuesday. Several inches of rain are possible throughout Tuesday.
The National Weather Service is also warning of localized flash flooding throughout central California on Tuesday as the storm system moved further inland, and potential for high winds Tuesday afternoon along the Washington and Oregon coast spreading into the Seattle and Puget Sound region.
Things to know:
- Explaining flood alerts by the National Weather Service
- What is an atmospheric river? The planet’s largest freshwater rivers are in the sky
- Plan, prepare, protect: How to best cover your property against floods
Bonus reads
- See scope of ice, blizzard conditions as Christmas week bomb cyclone unleashes wild weather across the US
- A year of extremes: Best viral weather videos of 2022
Still need a weather fix? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app, and watch FOX Weather wherever you go with the FOX Weather app, foxweather.com/live or your favorite streaming service.