Midwest deep freeze sets in as first snowfall of season turns into ice Sunday

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Temperatures fell to 20 degrees or less in six states from North Dakota to Illinois behind cold front that brought snow to region Friday and Saturday
National Weather Service reported temperatures in single digits on Sunday
Chicago residents were digging out from about 11 inches of snow Sunday
The 11 inches that fell were highest November total in 120 years in Chicago
More than 130 flights were cancelled Sunday into and out of O'Hare Airport

Published: 14:23 EST, 22 November 2015 | Updated: 16:55 EST, 22 November 2015

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A deep freeze across the Midwest set in Sunday with single-digit temperatures - and a few below zero - turning the season's first major snow into ice that made some roads treacherous to travel.

Temperatures plunged to 20 degrees or lower across six states from North Dakota to Illinois behind a cold front that brought snow across much of the region Friday and Saturday.

The National Weather Service reported temperatures in the single- and low double-digits Sunday in northern Illinois, including Chicago, where residents were digging out of about 11 inches of snow.

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A deep freeze across the Midwest set in Sunday with single-digit temperatures turning the season's first major snow into ice that made some roads treacherous to travel (Sioux Falls, South Dakota, pictured above)

Fans sit in seats before a game between the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos on Sunday in Chicago

People walked down a snowy sidewalk in Wilmette, Illinois, as temperatures across the state began to plunge

The 11 inches that fell were the highest November total in 120 years in the Windy City.

More than 130 flights were cancelled Sunday into and out of the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.

In Minneapolis, dozens of people huddled around fires to stay warm at an encampment outside a police station to protest the fatal shooting of a black man by officers there last week.

Temperatures hit a low of 17 degrees overnight, and light snow was expected to move in by Sunday evening.

More than 130 flights were cancelled Sunday into and out of the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago

Ed Podrasky cleared some snow off his car as he got ready to go to the store in Illinois on Saturday

Montini High School crews worked removing snow from the field before a Saturday game in Lombard, Illinois

The first snowfall of the season also brought amounts ranging from a few inches to 20 inches of snow from South Dakota through Michigan earlier in the weekend.

In the southern Wisconsin town of Janesville, between ten and 20 inches of snow had fallen by late Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Southside True Value Hardware manager Matt Krienke said business had been good in the days leading up to the storm in the Janesville, but that it had become 'very, very, very, very slick.'

'People who don't need to drive don't need to be out,' he said.

Slick driving conditions were reported across the region.

In western Michigan, two people were injured in a 15-car pileup late Saturday along Interstate 196 following heavy snow in the area.

Local police said one woman was struck by a vehicle after getting out of her vehicle.

Cars are covered by snow in a rental car parking lot at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport seen Saturday

Winter Storm Bella brought the first heavy snow of the season for some in the Great Lakes and Midwest

Anna Smith finished her run along the Great Western Trail in Wasco, Illinois, on Saturday

Snow totals in the northern suburbs of Chicago topped initial forecasts of six to ten inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley - 12.5 inches in Woodstock and 11.7 inches in Roscoe.

It's unusual for the area's first snowfall of the season to dump more than six inches, Seeley said.

About 60 miles northwest of Chicago, the village of Capron had received 14.6 inches by Saturday morning, spurring village employee Robert Lukes into action clearing sidewalks with his snowblower in the community of about 1,400 people.

He said the snowfall was wet, with a layer of slush underneath that made the work slow going.

'It's a typical first snow for us, but it's a pain in the butt. There's quite a bit of it and it's kind of difficult plowing and snowblowing,' he said, adding, 'It's just another snowstorm in northern Illinois.'