Buffalo Prepares for Warm Temperatures, Melting of 7-Foot Snowfall

Residents of Buffalo, New York are reportedly fearing floods as the massive amount of snow they received this past week will begin to melt.

Following a lake-effect storm that began Tuesday evening, Buffalo and surrounding areas received over seven feet of snow in some places, causing many roofs to collapse in the area and thousands of residents to lose power to their homes.

NBC News reports that the death toll has climbed from five to 13 since Wednesday, and over 30 structures have reportedly collapsed under the weight of snow on their roof.

Richard Tobe, the deputy Erie County executive, told the media outlet that warm temperatures next week will melt the snow, resulting in an equivalent of six inches rainfall in two days. Mayor Byron Brown also warned of the "inevitable" flooding that will occur when temperatures increase.

"There is going to be flooding after the temperatures increase," Brown said. "That is inevitable."

Residents of Buffalo and surrounding areas have expressed concern over the impending snowmelt, with John Normile of Lake View, a Buffalo suburb, telling ABC News that it took him five hours to even begin to clear snow off of his roof.

"Five hours yesterday and that's just the beginning," Normile said.

"We're getting really concerned about the weight of it," the resident continued. "We've got to do it before the rain comes."

Buffalo reportedly saw two-thirds of its usual annual snowfall in just two days this past week, causing the closing of roads and mandatory evacuations of some areas, including a nursing home where a roof gave way.