New York snowstorm: Death toll rises to 10 as residents battle with further snowfall

States of emergency have been declared in 10 counties as authorities struggle to cope to unseasonably cold weather

Two Buffalo residents attempt to remove some of the snow on their roof (Getty)

Western residents of New York State are reeling after another two feet of snow fell, placing further strain on the state’s already buckling resources as the death toll rose to 10 this morning.

The United States has seen a year’s snow fall in three days in the New York county area with temperatures dipping below freezing in all 50 states – including Hawaii.

It is believed that at least ten people have lost their lives as a result of the unseasonably cold weather, with care homes evacuated in the Buffalo area and the National Football League moving a scheduled game from the local stadium to Detroit.

“This is western New York; we’re used to it,” Jack Fasanella, an Erie County resident, told The New York Times. “But this is the worst I’ve ever seen. Even worse than the blizzard of ’77.”

The 1977 blizzard killed 23 people in western New York and five more in the north of the state. National forecasters recorded daily peak wind gusts of 46 to 69 mph and up to eight feet of snowfall over a three day period at the end of January.

States of emergency have been declared in 10 counties as rescue crews mobilise across the nation to provide much needed help to trapped residents.

A driver attempts to navigate the roads in North-Eastern America (AP)

Erie County Deputy Executive Richard Tobe warned that roof collapses posed a threat, especially at mobile home parks. Nearly 180 elderly residents were evacuated from a care home earlier in the week, after careers noticed the ceiling bulging from the weight of snow.

"With this heavy snow load now, there are buildings that are in danger," Mr Tobe said.