Buffalo storm death toll increases to 34; feds open inquiry into power outages

The worst of the historic winter weather is likely behind western New York as temperatures were forecast to rise Wednesday and allow the region to thaw, a trend meteorologists say was set to spread across large swaths of the U.S.

But community members are still reeling from storm's devastating impacts this week. The death toll in Erie County, which contains Buffalo – the area hardest hit in the storm –rose to 34, officials confirmed in a Wednesday morning update.

Along with burying the city with more than 50 inches of snow since Christmas Eve,...