Photos show a Buffalo restaurant covered in giant icicles that reach from the roof to the ground as parts of New York continue to reel from the blizzard

• Buffalo, New York, was hit by a deadly snowstorm over Christmas weekend.

• At least 27 people were killed in the snowstorm, with the death toll expected to increase.

• The freezing temperature left a local restaurant completely shrouded in massive icicles.

The massive blizzard that hit Buffalo, New York, over Christmas weekend has left the city in icy conditions and more than two dozen people dead.

Winter storm Elliot is the deadliest blizzard to have hit Buffalo in at least 100 years. Power outages hit the city amid four days of non-stop snow and hurricane-level winds.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the city looked like a "warzone."

"This is a war with mother nature and she has been hitting us with everything she has," Hochul said in a press briefing Monday, describing the snowstorm as the "blizzard of the century."

Locals officials said at least 27 people have died in Buffalo as of December 26. Mark Poloncarz, an Erie County executive, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday that some died from exposure, while others died from cardiac arrests while plowing snow.

"With snow still falling and windchill temperatures below zero, Hoaks looks like a scene out of Frozen," Hochul said in a Twitter post on December 24. "Please stay home, stay warm, and stay safe, New York."

A series of photos of a local restaurant covered in giant icicles and thick layers of snow showed the severity of the snowstorm.

Hoak's Restaurant, located right along Lake Erie, is one of dozens of establishments in Buffalo affected by the blizzard. The family restaurant was founded in 1949 and is now co-owned by siblings Kevin and Eileen Hoak.

And while recent photos on Google show the restaurant has a red brick facade and al fresco seating by the lake, you wouldn't know that from looking at these photos.

The photos of the restaurant's ice-encrusted facade were captured by photographer Fatih Aktas on December 26.

Hoak's and Aktas did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

In a December 22 interview with Buffalo news and talk radio station WBEN, Kevin Hoak said they were no strangers to snowy conditions.

Snowstorms have previously iced out the restaurant because of its location along Lake Erie, Hoak said.

Hoak's has previously experienced flash freezes that have almost completely iced out the restaurant's outdoor deck, Hoak told WBEN: "It just happens with the 25-foot waves, it's going to find its way in. Water is scary and powerful."

Photos posted on Facebook in March 2020 by Hoak's official account show partially melted icicles right outside the restaurant.

This time around, they fortified the building in preparation for the storm.

"What we did was we put storm boards over the windows throughout the whole entire restaurant," Hoak said. "With 75-mile-per-hour winds, you don't want any debris or rock or branches or logs coming through your windows. So we had to board up the windows, just secure the area, and you've just got to protect the house."

Another photo of Hoak's Restaurant shows ice and snow wrapping around the lake-facing sides of the restaurant.

A photographer from WIVB-TV, who filmed a video outside Hoak's, wrote in a Twitter post on December 25 that the restaurant looked "surreal" and "like an Ice Castle."

Another video the photographer posted on Twitter on December 23 showed the lake's waves crashing on the snow-covered rocks by the restaurant.

Hoak told WBEN that he plans to take down the ice so he can start operating the restaurant again.

Hoak said he plans to quickly remove the ice so it doesn't melt and cause more damage to the restaurant's structure.

"But, I mean, it's Mother Nature. Nothing's perfect when you have those high winds," Hoak added.

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