Snow and freezing temperatures are creating dangerous travel conditions for Americans across the Midwest and Northeast.

An early winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow on several states from Iowa to New England.

At least seventeen deaths, mostly travel accidents, have been blamed on the storm.

"Take some extra time because the roads are gonna be slick," said Lori Getter, spokeswoman at the Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center.

Flight cancellations and lengthy delays left thousands of airline passengers stranded in Chicago.

"It's already very cold across the entire region. when moves east and the skies clear over Illinois, it'll get even colder," said Casey Sullivan, a weather service meteorologist in Romeoville, Ill. "Iowa's even colder."

Hundreds of schools have canceled classes and thousands of homes are without power.

Now sub-zero temperatures and a frigid winds are striking the Midwest. For some, the storm was a rude surprise after an unseasonably warm and dry November.

"I've been dreading this day," said Kim Brust, shoveling the sidewalk in front of his Minneapolis home before sunrise Wednesday. "I was starting to enjoy the global warming."

The storm continues to move east and parts of northern New York state are expected to receive three feet of snow by the end of the week.