Winter storm Bella dumps 16 inches of snow on the Midwest in the heaviest recorded November snowstorm for a hundred years

• Winter Storm Bella brought the first heavy snow of the season for some in the Great Lakes and Midwest
• It was also one of the heaviest November snowstorms of record in several states
• Shovels and snowblowers were out from South Dakota and southern Minnesota to Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois 
• Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had more than five inches of snow and cancelled 250 flights 
• Most of the rain and snow is set to stay in the West this week, before hitting the Midwest again by Thanksgiving Day 

By Associated Press

Published: 01:59 EST, 22 November 2015 | Updated: 11:56 EST, 22 November 2015

People fired up snowblowers and dug out their shovels Saturday after the first significant snowstorm of the season dumped up to 20 inches of snow across the Upper Midwest - blanketing a swath from South Dakota to Michigan.

The storm created hazardous travel conditions and caused more than 500 flight cancellations. A blast of much colder air was following the storm.

The National Weather Service said the snow, which first fell in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa on Friday, would head northeast into Canada late Saturday after moving through Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. 

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Anna Smith, of Elgin, Ill., finishes her run along the Great Western Trail in Wasco, Illinois. The first significant snowstorm of the season blanketed some parts of the Midwest with more than a foot of snow

Jim Bump, leads his horse and carriage for Johnson Controls during a holiday parade in Milwaukee

Winter Storm Bella not only brought the first, not to mention locally heavy, accumulating snow of the season for some in the Great Lakes and Midwest, but also was one of the heaviest November snowstorms of record for some

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled after the first significant winter storm of the season blanketed parts of the Midwest with a foot of snow overnight. Pictured: a motorist makes the way through the snow of the season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Jim Paulson, of Sioux Falls, shovels part of his driveway before using the snow blower to clear the rest during the first snow of the season

In the southern Wisconsin town of Janesville, between 10 and 20 inches of snow had fallen by late Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

Southside True Value Hardware manager Matt Krienke said business had been good in the days leading up to the storm, 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.

Snow totals in the northern suburbs of Chicago topped initial forecasts of 6 to 10 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 6 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. 

Daron Jones, University of Wisconsin's associate director of events and operations, trudges through the snow-covered west stands before an NCAA college football game between Wisconsin and Northwestern at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin

Al Frelk walks his dog, Shiba, 10, in Lords Park in Elgin, Ill., on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. Asked about the snow, Frelk said, 'It's beautiful, but can be tough to drive in. Though Shiba has been waiting nine months for this'

Cars are covered by snow in a rental car parking lot at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Saturday, where hundreds of flights were cancelled by early Saturday morning

A screen displays flight status information at Chiago's O'Hare International Airport, where about 250 flights in and out were cancelled

A new storm system is set to push into the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, bringing rain and snow to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and even northern California and northern Nevada

Travel troubles will continue on Wednesday, with snow falling in California's Sierra Nevada and parts of Oregon into Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and the Rockies in Colorado

Snow is expected from northwest Minnesota to the Dakotas, western Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado on Thanksgiving Day

'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.'

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had 7.1 inches of snow by noon Saturday, which forced the cancellation of about 310 flights in and out of the busy airport, according to the tracking website FlightAware.com. Midway International Airport had canceled about 110 flights.

The northern Indiana city of LaPorte is no stranger to heavy snowfalls, though only about 4 inches were on the ground by noon Saturday. Alizha Demunck, a clerk at the city's Little Chocolates candy store, says the weather didn't slow weekend shoppers from getting handmade chocolates.

'Northern Indiana, we're used to snow. Most people aren't even fazed by it,' she said. 

Parade goers line Kilbourn Avenue to watch a holiday parade, Saturday, in Milwaukee

A woman clears snow off her automobile is it continues to fall in temperatures around 35F (1.6 C) in Wilmette, Illinois. After a mild Autumn, the Midwest US is experiencing its first taste of winter weather as Winter Storm Bella moves to the east

Bridger Wagner, three, plays in the snow in front of his house in Sioux Falls in South Dakota during the first snow storm of the season

Summer Wagner, of Sioux Falls, shovels snow from her driveway as Bridger plays in several inches of snow on Friday

Harvey Wollman uses a snow blower to clear the sidewalk near his house in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where temperatures have plummeted to just 11 degrees on Saturday

Hope Peterson, 22, and Alex Cutler, 24, both of Sioux Falls, shovel the snowed in driveway of Cutler's parents' house

This NOAA satellite image taken on Saturday, November 21, shows mostly clear skies dominating the western United States. Some scattered snow showers are also moving over Colorado and the Central Plains along the tail end of an upper level trough that is progressing into the Midwest. Tropical Storm Rick is in the bottom right corner with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour

Between 5 and 8 inches of snow had fallen on far northern Indiana and southern Michigan by Saturday afternoon, with accumulations growing ever-smaller farther to the south, the weather service said. Indianapolis was expected to receive 1 to 3 inches of snow.

Temperatures plunged behind the front. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, reached 11 degrees Saturday and the town of Estherville in northern Iowa was even colder at 6 degrees with a wind chill of minus 4, the weather service said.

Southeastern South Dakota got up to 18 inches of snow on Friday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Terry said, while amounts of a foot or more - 17 inches in one spot - were common in northern Iowa.

Waves from Lake Michigan splash by the Shedd Aquarium as the Chicago skyline is shrouded by clouds as temperatures fell to around 35 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago on Saturday

Meteorologist Kevin Skow says the heaviest snow is expected to fall from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, down to Dubuque. Pictured: motorists travel south on Southeastern Avenue in Sioux Falls

A pedestrian crosses Lafayette Street through the first snowfall in downtown Waterloo, Iowa, on Friday. Des Moines received six inches by late Friday and amounts of a foot or more were common in northern Iowa

People can be seen walking the streets as the first snow of the year falls in Des Moines, Iowa. The highest recorded snowfall in the state was 17 inches, the weather service said

As well as the snowfall, temperatures have plummeted. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, saw just 11 degrees on Saturday and the town of Estherville in northern Iowa was even colder at six degrees with a wind chill of minus four, the weather service said.

Southeastern South Dakota got up to 18 inches of snow on Friday, Terry said.

In Iowa, Des Moines received six inches by late Friday and amounts of a foot or more were common in northern Iowa. The highest recorded snowfall in the state was 17 inches, the weather service said.

The Iowa Department of Transportation warned people in Des Moines and several other cities not to travel because of the hazardous conditions. 

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said troopers in northern and western Iowa were seeing many cars in ditches, especially near Mason City and Council Bluffs, the Des Moines Register reported.

It is not unusual for snow to fall in the Midwest before Thanksgiving, Terry said.

'Some of those amounts are pretty impressive for this time of year,' he added.

A deer walks along a bike trail as the first snow of the year falls in Des Moines, Iowa. The National Weather Service says heavy snowfall was expected into early Saturday in parts of northwest and north central Iowa

Hope Peterson, 22, and Alex Cutler, 24, both of Sioux Falls, shovel the sidewalk in front of Cutler's parents' house after a wintry storm

Southeastern South Dakota got up to 18 inches of snow on Friday. Pictured: Summer Wagner, of Sioux Falls, shovels snow from her driveway in Sioux Falls

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