Highways closed, flights canceled as winter roars inStory Highlights
NEW: More than 11 inches of snow on ground in Portland, KGW-TV reports
More than 130 miles of New York State Thruway closed for a time Monday
Broken water pipes cause damage at an Indiana university
Thousands of travelers stranded at airports in Northwest
(CNN) -- Severe winter weather was creating Christmas week travel headaches across the country early Monday, canceling flights and closing major highways.
Traffic backs up Monday on a Chicago, Illinois-area highway after an early-morning accident.
more photos » More than 130 miles of the New York State Thruway were shut down for a time Monday morning from Henrietta, near Rochester, to the Pennsylvania state line. Dozens of vehicles had slid off the icy roadway, CNN affiliate WIVB-TV in Buffalo, New York, reported.
Even after the highway was reopened, officials warned of icy pavement and poor visibility from blowing snow.
Buffalo got a record 7.4 inches of snow on Sunday, and more was in the forecast for Monday, the first full day of winter, according to the National Weather Service.
Police agencies in western New York were advising motorists not to leave home. Two New York towns, Wales and Lancaster, banned travel altogether, WIVB reported.
Schools were closed Monday in Boston, Massachusetts, as icy roadways prevented buses from operating, CNN affiliate WCVB-TV reported. See the scenes of winter across the U.S. »
On the other side of the country, travelers spent the night in the Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, airports after airlines, including Alaska, Horizon Air and Southwest, canceled many flights on Sunday.
Long lines had formed before dawn Monday at airline counters at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, CNN affiliate KIRO-TV in Seattle reported. The Federal Aviation Administration was reporting no delay at the airport Monday morning, but a KIRO reporter said only two takeoffs had been observed before 7 a.m. PST.
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KGW: Flights canceled in Portland, Oregon
FAA.gov: Flight delay information
More snow in Northeast, Northwest
WIVB: Drivers warned to stay off icy roads
The story was the same at Portland International Airport. Alaska canceled its flights Sunday, and Southwest was trying get flights out, but was limited because flights weren't able to get in, CNN affiliate KOIN-TV in Portland reported.
More than 11 inches of snow was on the ground Monday morning in Portland, CNN affiliate KGW-TV reported, an amount not seen since 1968. Vehicles on all Portland roads were required to have snow chains, KGW said, but drivers were advised to stay off roads completely.
Seattle's Amtrak station also was packed with stranded holiday travelers after the winter storm stopped trains in their tracks Sunday in the Pacific Northwest. Watch driving woes in Walla Walla, Washington »
Another winter storm was expected to move into the Northwest from the Pacific Ocean late Tuesday, KIRO reported, bringing snow and freezing rain.
The icy cold in Indianapolis, Indiana, likely caused water pipes to burst at Martin University early Monday, officials told CNN affiliate WRTV-TV.
"We had just installed brand new computers in the building, and so we're really just still trying to assess the damages to the university," university spokeswoman Danita Hoskin told WRTV.
It was 2 degrees, with a wind chill of minus 17 degrees at 7 a.m. Monday in Indianapolis, according to the National Weather Service.
Car travel was often dangerous Sunday in parts of the Northern United States.
Drivers blinded by blizzard conditions drove into a 30-vehicle pile-up on Interstate 94 in western Michigan's Berrien County on Sunday afternoon. Dozens of other vehicles also were involved in a series of other nearby wrecks, including one that killed a 31-year-old Illinois man, police said.
Michigan resident Eric Teschke said he had just told his friend who was driving that they should probably slow down when trouble began.
"I look up and I just see a sea of cars and I go, 'Oh, crap, oh, crap.' And I just go 'We can't stop,' " Teschke said. "So we're sliding for about 15 seconds, knowing what's going to happen. Bam, slam into the back of several cars and a semi."
Michigan State Police's Matthew Churchill said it was the worst pile-up he's ever seen.
"Vehicles were actually crashing right in front of us, and there was really nothing we could do except to try to stay out of the way and try to get to the people and keep them in their vehicles where they could be safe," Churchill said.
White-out conditions and the pile-ups forced police to shut down a six-mile stretch of I-94 near Lake Michigan for hours Sunday afternoon. Watch people cope with the wintry blast »
Many Californians, however, welcomed the snowfall that blanketed the Sierra Mountains.
"We're Southern Californians, so a chance to be in the snow is a wonderful, wonderful day for the kids," said one mother as she waited for snow chains to be fitted on her tires for a day trip into the mountains Sunday.
Even more heavy snow will be dumped Monday on the Great Lakes region, New York state and New England, said forecaster Michael Eckert with the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Maryland.
"Some places are going end up with 1 to 2 feet of additional snow," Eckert said.
The wind and cold will add to the misery of those who are snow-bound, he said.
"Some gusts have been 30 to 40 mph," Eckert said. "Temperatures over the upper Great Lakes have fallen below zero, and those cold temperatures are going to move to New England states on Monday. We'll see wind-chill temperatures below zero over much of the Northeastern U.S."
In Illinois, Chicagoans were warned to stay inside as subzero temperatures and high winds continued to sweep the area, WGN said. About 9,300 customers in northern Illinois were without power Sunday night.
It was so cold in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, the Target Holidazzle Parade was canceled Sunday night because of dangerous wind chills, KARE-TV reported. By Christmas Eve, the high is forecast to reach only 16 degrees, but with mostly sunny skies.
