Death Toll Rises To 55 As Americans Dig Out From Massive Winter Storm

The death toll from the massive winter storm that blanketed a large swath of the country has risen to at least 55 and is expected to grow in the coming days.

Upstate New York took the brunt of the storm, which dumped nearly four feet of lake-effect snow in some areas. New York Governor Kathy Hochul told CNN the storm is the "most devastating storm in Buffalo's long, storied history."

A driving ban remains in effect for several cities as officials urge people to stay off the roads. The area was still seeing snow on Monday morning as the temperatures plunged into the teens. To make matters worse, the storm knocked out power for around 15,000 people, leaving them trapped in their homes with no heat. Officials don't expect the power to be restored until Tuesday at the earliest.

The storm was followed by frigid temperatures that stretched across the country, bringing bone-chilling conditions to over 10 million people as far south as Orlando, Florida.

It has also snarled holiday travel as more than 1,700 flights were canceled, and over 3,000 were delayed as of 11 a.m ET.

The weather is forecast to improve throughout the week as the temperatures rise ahead of New Year's Day.

"A major shift in the jet stream will occur this week," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "Instead of a massive dip in the jet stream that allows air from the North Pole to empty into the U.S., a more west-to-east jet pattern will develop and allow milder air from the Pacific to flow across much of the nation."