NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul described the snowstorm hitting Western New York as “life-threatening” and “one of the worst in history.”

The heavy snow is part of a huge winter storm that’s also creating high winds, frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills in much of the U.S. The storm has been blamed for at least 12 deaths, including two in a Buffalo suburb after emergency crews couldn’t get to their homes when they suffered medical emergencies. It has left about 1.7 million people without power.

Hochul said in a late Saturday morning briefing that the Buffalo Niagara International Airport is closed through Monday morning, and some roads are closed through Christmas Day.

Almost every fire truck in Buffalo, she said, was stranded and stuck in snow as of Saturday morning.

“No matter how many emergency vehicles we have, they cannot get through the conditions as we speak,” she said.