• 25 weather-related fatalities in Buffalo, up from 13 on Sunday.
• At least 50 fatalities across the country due to blizzard conditions.
• Forecasters predict that the storm will abate over the next days.

A catastrophic winter storm that swept across North America has made Buffalo, New York, resemble a battle zone, according to the state governor.

There were 25 weather-related fatalities in the city on Monday, up from 13 on Sunday.

“This is a war with mother nature and she has been hitting us with everything she has” since Thursday, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said.

There have been at least 50 fatalities nationally due to blizzard conditions that have spread from Canada to as far south as the Rio Grande.

Upstate New York’s vicinity of Buffalo has been hardest hit.

Governor Hochul, a native of Buffalo, said: “It is (like) going to a war zone, and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking.”

She said residents were facing a “life-threatening situation”, as many emergency vehicles were unable to reach worst-hit areas or got stuck in snow themselves.

One family with young children – aged 2 to 6 – had to wait for 11 hours before being rescued in the early hours of Christmas Day.

“I was basically just hopeless,” the father, Zila Santiago, told News Channel. He said he had managed to stay warm by keeping the engine running and kept distress at bay by playing games with the children.

Once melting snowdrifts disclose stuck vehicles and open up remote dwellings, more victims should be found.

Forecasters predict that the storm will abate over the next days, but they still advise against travelling unless absolutely necessary.

The cancellation of thousands of flights has prevented many people from visiting their families for Christmas.

Although power has been gradually restored, an estimated 250,000 homes and businesses lost power over the weekend.

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