Emergency crews in New York were battling to rescue residents marooned in what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” which has left nearly 50 people dead in the United States.

In New York state, authorities have described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts, bodies being discovered in vehicles and under snow banks, and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for more motorists, according to an AFP report.

Blizzard conditions persist in parts of the US Northeast causing widespread power outages, travel delays and deaths across nine states, according to official figures.

The fierce storm, heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures forced the cancellation of more than 15,000 US flights in recent days, including over 3,800 on Monday, according to tracking site Flightaware.com.

“Certainly it is the blizzard of the century,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul told journalists, adding it was “way too early to say this is at its completion.”

Hochul said some western New York towns got hit with “30 to 40 inches of snow overnight.”

Hochul spoke with President Joe Biden, who offered “the full force of the federal government” to support New York state, and said he and First Lady Jill Biden were praying for those who lost loved ones in the storm, according to a White House statement.

The National Weather Service forecast up to 14 more inches of snow Monday in addition to the several feet that have already left the city buried in snow, with officials struggling to get emergency services back online.

Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted Monday afternoon that the blizzard-related death count had climbed to 27 across the county, including 14 people who were found outside and three who were discovered in a car.

Speaking at a press conference earlier in the day, Poloncarz said Erie’s death count would likely surpass that of Buffalo’s deadly blizzard of 1977, when nearly 30 people died.