Record-breaking snowfall that has buried towns near Buffalo, New York, and killed at least 14 people, is posing a major flooding threat with temperatures forecast to rise.
, the National Weather Service said.
A flood warning urges people to prepare for a possibility, while a more serious flood warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring.
The warning was in effect in northern Erie, Genessee, Wyoming, Chatauqua, Cattaraugus, southern Erie counties, including the cities of Buffalo, Batavia, Warsaw, Jamestown, Olean, Orchard Park and Springville, the service said.
More than 600,000 people live in the areas affected, where thousands particularly in towns south of Buffalo have been trapped in their homes for nearly a week.
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Authorities have urged people to clear storm drains in front of their homes, and to get any valuables out of their basements.
In Lackawanna, National Guardsmen were out enforcing the travel ban, officials said.
"Only the city of Buffalo south of Seneca Street, the city of Lackawanna and the town of Eden have driving bans now," tweeted Erie county executive Mark Poloncarz.
Snowfall roughly equivalent to a year's supply of snow in two days saw the National Guard called up and could yet prompt a federal disaster declaration, local officials said.
Many of those who died lost their lives while clearing mounds of heavy snow from their cars and homes.
The rock band Interpol said they were stranded more than 50 hours on their tour bus by the storm outside Buffalo, forcing them to cancel two consecutive nights of concerts in Montreal and Toronto.
