"Blizzard of the century" kills dozens but conditions expected to improve

Temperatures were expected to moderate across the Northeast and Midwest Tuesday after days of frigid weather from "the blizzard of the century" left at least 55 dead nationwide and caused Christmas travel chaos.

Blizzard conditions persisted in parts of the Northeast -- the stubborn remnants of a sprawl of extreme weather that gripped the country over several days, causing widespread power outages, travel delays and deaths in nine states, according to official figures.

In New York state, authorities 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 survivors.