As Christmas nears, winter storms continue to make going roughStory Highlights
Broad swath of northern U.S. still coping with snow, ice, bitter cold
Delays of almost two hours reported at Newark, New Jersey, airport
More than 11 inches of snow on ground in Portland, Oregon, CNN affiliate reports
Woman freezes outside of Ohio home, TV station says
(CNN) -- Mother Nature provided little cooperation late Monday and early Tuesday as Christmas week travelers tried to reach their destinations.
Mia Watson, 7, reads a book at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport while she waits on Monday, December 22.
1 of 3 The National Weather Service had a long list of places grappling with more bitter cold, snow, ice or rain.
A storm warning was in effect until 5 p.m. Tuesday for the Four Corners region -- New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Near blizzard conditions are possible in higher terrain.
The weather service said much of central and northern Illinois could expect snow or freezing rain. Snow is also expected across a broad swath of the northern United States, from Montana to the Great Lakes states.
In eastern Texas and Southern California, the problem Tuesday will be rain and storms, the NWS said.
In St. Louis, Missouri, CNN affiliate KMOV had a freezing rain advisory out early Tuesday and highs aren't expected to crawl out of the 30s until Friday.
Farther north in Minneapolis, Minnesota, CNN affiliate KARE said more snow is on the way and predicted a low of 5 degrees on Christmas Day, with some warming after that.
In Boston, temperatures in the teens rippled across Massachussets and flights at Logan International Airport were backed up, according to CNN affiliate WCVB. By Christmas Eve on Wednesday, that area will see an improvement with a high of 47 and showers instead of ice and snow. iReport: Show us your severe weather
On Monday, severe winter weather forced flight cancellations and highway closures, leaving thousands upon thousands stranded.
Air travelers heading for three major East Coast airports -- Newark-Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York -- faced delays of almost two hours on Monday, the Federal Aviation Agency said. Watch a roundup of the worst weather »
More than 130 miles of the New York State Thruway were temporarily shut down for a time Monday morning from Henrietta, near Rochester, to the Pennsylvania state line.
Dozens of vehicles 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.
On the other side of the country, long lines formed before dawn Monday at airline counters at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where two major carriers, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, suspended service Sunday. CNN affiliate KING says highs will stay in the 30s throughout the week as travelers try to leave. Watch makeshift sleds in Seattle »
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Some travelers may have to wait until midweek or later to get flights out of the airport, CNN affiliate KOMO-TV reported. Supplies were running low at airport concessions for those enduring the wait, the Seattle station said.
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.
The Amtrak station in Seattle also was packed with stranded holiday travelers after the winter storm stopped trains in their tracks Sunday in the Pacific Northwest.
In Marysville, Washington, workers at an industrial complex Monday morning found the roof of a building there had collapsed, apparently because of heavy snow, according to CNN affiliate KIRO-TV. The structure is used by a company that manufactures steel buildings; no injuries were reported.
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.
In Greene County, Ohio, near Dayton, a 79-year-old woman died after being found outside her home on Sunday, CNN affiliate WHIO-TV reported. It was 6 degrees in the area at noon Monday.
In Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, a newspaper deliveryman died of heart failure caused by hypothermia a day after his car became stuck in a snowdrift on his route early Sunday, officials told CNN affiliate WISC-TV.
A snowplow driver found Donald L. Blum, 54, of Monticello, about seven hours after Blum's car became stuck. Blum was taken to a hospital, where he died Monday, WISC reported.
Before he died, he told authorities that he had stayed with the vehicle because of the severe weather and because he had certain health conditions, WISC reported.
