Heavy snowfall, wind pounding the Midwest, New England

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A fierce storm left dangerous ice, heavy snow and vicious winds in its wake as it slogged eastward Wednesday, snarling traffic and closing hundreds of schools from the upper Midwest through New England.

The storm was blamed for at least 10 deaths, most in traffic accidents.

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, and only a few were scheduled at Des Moines International Airport.

More than a foot of snow was expected in parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, where the National Weather Service warned of "extremely dangerous blizzard conditions" and near whiteout driving conditions. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph could build snow drifts between 8 and 15 feet tall.

An Arizona hunter was killed Monday night when a large pine tree snapped and crushed him as he slept in a tent. The driver of a sport utility vehicle that plunged 90 feet (27 meters) off an icy road into the Texas Panhandle's Palo Duro Canyon also died. Three fatal accidents were reported along slippery roads in Missouri, and a Minnesota driver who braked to avoid a stalled vehicle and wound up crashing down an embankment.