Biting cold conditions – below-freezing in some areas – will sweep across a large swath of the United States Sunday while heavy, record-breaking lake-effect snow makes post-holiday travel “treacherous” and nearly “impossible” in parts of the Great Lakes region.

A lake-effect storm continued to blanket parts of the Great Lakes region with snow on Saturday, closing highways on one of the biggest travel weekends of the year and prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York to declare a state of emergency on Friday in 11 counties.

A blast of Arctic air taking over much of the U.S. is bringing powerful lake-effect snow to several states and shivering temperatures to parts of the South.

A winter storm packing heavy snow and rain is on its way to New York state, threatening Thanksgiving travel plans for millions as people leave home ahead of the holiday.

Parts of the Great Lakes region were pummeled with almost 3 feet (90 centimeters) of snow, threatening what’s expected to be one of the busiest US travel weekends on record as Americans return home from Thanksgiving holiday gatherings.