Mark Settlemyer, left, gets help clearing snow from the roof of his mother's house from Ken Wesley in Lancaster, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2014.
Forecasters say up to one more meter of snow is expected to fall Thursday in Buffalo, New York, two days after the city was literally buried by a massive winter storm.
The new snow will add to the 1.5 meters of snow that left residents trapped in their homes and motorists stranded in their vehicles along a long stretch of the New York State Thruway. Forecasters say the eventual snowfall totals will be as much as the city usually gets during an entire winter.
Seven people have now been confirmed dead in connection with the storm, including a man found dead in his car buried under the snow. Four other people died of heart-related causes.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency in 10 counties in the western New York region. Cuomo told reporters Wednesday this could be a record-breaking snowfall "when all is said and done."
Meteorologists blame the blizzard on a phenomenon known as "lake effect snow," which occurs when warm moist air rising from Lake Erie collides with cold winds blowing across the water.
Such storms can also be unpredictable -- while some parts of Buffalo are completely buried in snow, areas just a few kilometers away have only five centimeters.
Winter Weather Slams U.S.
1/12Tom Wilczak shovels snow from the roof of his home following a storm in Buffalo, New York, Nov. 20, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
2/12Dump trucks wait to unload snow removed from south Buffalo neighborhoods after heavy lake-effect snowstorms at the Central Terminal, Nov. 21, 2014, in Buffalo, New York.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
3/12D.J. Schloss, left, and Doug Metz shovel off a roof on Abbey Lane in Alden, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
4/12A vehicle, with a large chunk of snow on its top, drives along Route 20 after digging out after a massive snow fall in Lancaster, N.Y. Nov. 19, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
5/12Brian Cintron walks in his snow-bound south Buffalo neighborhood, Nov. 20, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
6/12Snow is piled high on a vehicle and on houses in the south Buffalo area, Nov. 20, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
7/12Tom Wilson, 28, of West Seneca, N.Y. , waist high in snow, took advantage of a respite in the snowfall to try to shovel his way down a Buffalo, N.Y., sidewalk,, Nov. 19, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
8/12Cars with snow atop the roofs sit idle at a home on Broadway in Lancaster, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
9/12Snowdrifts create a beautiful setting as a man tries to dig out his driveway on Bowen Rd. in Lancaster, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2014. A lake-effect snow storm dumped over five feet of snow in areas across Western New York.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
10/12Storm clouds and snow blows off Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, Nov. 18, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
11/12A plane negotiates its way through the snow at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, N.Y., Nov. 18, 2014.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
12/12A commuter walks along Market Street in freezing temperatures, Nov. 18, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
An Arctic blast brought freezing temperatures to a large portion of the United States, and early snowfall to others, early in the week of Nov. 17, 2014. While cold temperatures affected much of the country, western New York state was hit with over two meters of snow, paralyzing much of the region.
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