At least 28 people are dead as of Tuesday after a historically severe winter storm hit Buffalo and the surrounding areas.

The area was blasted with over 50 inches of snow over about a 48-hour period leaving some people with no power, no heat, and stranded in cars in below-freezing temperatures with wind chill. Rescue teams continue to search the region for people who may be stranded in vehicles.

The National Weather Service has forecasted that up to 9 inches of snow could still fall in western New York state.

Three people were found dead in their vehicles, four died without heat, three died from shoveling or snow-clearing related cardiac events, three others died due to delayed EMS services, along with other causes of death, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

"I am aware of additional bodies that have been recovered and are being brought to our temporary morgue," Poloncarz told CNN on Monday.

"We've had so many bodies that various hospitals are full and we're just having to go through and determine if the individuals have died from a blizzard-related death," he added.

Gov. Kathy Hochul called the situation an "epic, once-in-a-lifetime storm." The storm is considered the deadliest in 50 years.

On Monday, President Joe Biden offered condolences to victims' families and federal assistance to the region.

A driving ban was issued due to conditions being "impassable" for drivers, causing disruptions to Christmas plans along with other major disruptions. One woman had to be talked through her pregnancy by a nurse over the phone until she could get to a hospital.

The level of snow has also wreaked havoc on rescue teams.

"We had rescuers rescuing the rescuers. We needed to help the rescuers first so that they could go and help the public," Buffalo Deputy Mayor Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney said Tuesday on "CNN This Morning."