As millions continue to dig out from a massive lake effect snowstorm, western New York and Pennsylvania braced for another storm expected later in the week. Millions more on the East Coast were in the grip of a late-autumn freeze.

The first big snowfall of the season is blanketing towns in upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania as the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend winds down. Both states have issued emergency declarations.

Another round of lake-effect snow is on the way Wednesday night into Thursday, with near-blizzard conditions and up to a foot of additional snow for some in the Great Lakes and Northeast regions. The latest batch follows bands of extreme snowfall that have dumped a widespread 3 to 5 feet of snow in the region near Lakes Erie and Ontario.

The Great Lakes experienced a surge of activity as arctic air passed over record-warm waters, generating prolific snowfall.

The Great Lakes region is continuing face lake effect snow as some areas are bracing for multiple inches of snow into Tuesday.

The first significant lake-effect snowstorm of the season, which buried cities from Michigan to New York under 3-5 feet of snow, will finally begin to wind down on Tuesday after the relentless rounds of winter weather paralyzed travel as people tried to get home after the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The governor of Pennsylvania has signed a disaster emergency declaration and reported that parts of Erie County in the northwest have received nearly a meter of snow, with more expected to fall until Monday night.