(CNN) -- The winter storm system that walloped the Midwest moved east Friday night, bringing with it not just snow but powerful winds -- all of which made travel perilous and last-minute Christmas shopping more complicated across several states. 
 
 Earlier this week, blizzard-like conditions left many locales white less than a week before the holiday. Many communities in central Iowa, for instance, got about a foot of snow, and the city of Madison, Wisconsin, got 15.2 inches Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. 
 
 This much snow generally isn't expected as the system moves east, hitting Ohio, Pennsylvania and upstate New York. But that doesn't mean there haven't been -- and won't still be -- plenty of headaches. 
 
 Snow is hardly foreign to these areas. But the addition of strong winds, especially in mountainous areas and along the Great Lakes, makes staying on snow-slickened roads even harder. 
 
 "It's scary," Esther Boyer told CNN affiliate WDTN, soon after her car slid into a ditch Friday in western Ohio. "I guess I was just driving too fast, and you should slow down a lot sooner." 
 
 The lone blizzard warning, in effect Friday night through 6 p.m. Saturday, was for parts of northern West Virginia and north-central Maryland. The National Weather Service predicts 8 to 12 inches of snow and sustained winds of up to 35 mph, with gusts blowing up to 60 mph. 
 
 "Strong winds will cause blowing and drifting of snow with blizzard conditions expected at times with visibilities of one quarter mile or less (and) wind chill temperatures in the single digits ... also possible," the agency's forecast said. "Downed trees and power lines could result from the strongest gusts on Saturday." 
 
 More populated areas -- many of which, such as Buffalo, Cleveland and Erie, Pennsylvania, were seeing snow around 9 p.m. Friday -- are also expected to be hit hard. 
 
 The latter two cities are among those facing a winter storm warning through 7 p.m. Saturday. The weather service's forecast calls for 5 to 7 inches of snow, with 10 inches possible in spots, plus regular winds approaching 30 mph and up to 45-mph gusts by Lake Erie. 
 
 A similar warning applies to western Pennsylvania, where 5 to 9 inches of light to moderate snow -- some of it "heavier, lake-enhanced snow" -- and gusts as strong as 40 mph are expected. 
 
 Even more snow, between 10 to 18 inches, is forecast farther south in Pennsylvania and in northern Maryland, with 50-mph gusts possible. 
 
 "A winter storm warning means that snow will make travel dangerous," the weather service said. "If you must venture out at all, use extreme caution." 
 
 These advisories follow severe weather farther west that caused major problems earlier this week. 
 
 While the city itself was largely spared of snow, Chicago's two airports -- O'Hare and Midway -- were clogged with travelers due to flight cancellations. 
 
 Blinding snow is blamed for a 30-car pileup on Interstate 35 near Fort Dodge, Iowa, that killed two people, said Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Scott Bright. It was one of close to 100 weather-related accidents reported around the state by Thursday morning, according to Bright. 
 
 CNN's Stefan Simons, Jim Kavanagh, Jareen Imam, Laura Smith-Spark, Carma Hassan and Joe Sutton contributed to this report. ||||| Travelers facing canceled flights and closed roads were hoping to finally head to their holiday destinations as a widespread snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest moved across the Great Lakes toward Canada. 
 
 CORRECTS NUMBER DEAD TO TWO INSTEAD OF THREE, AND LOCATION OF ACCIDENT TO INTERSTATE 35 INSTEAD OF INTERSTATE 80 - This photo provided by the Iowa State Patrol shows the scene of a 25-vehicle pileup that... (Associated Press) 
 
 A local resident clears snow from his driveway after an overnight snowfall left many schools and businesses closed for the day, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in Urbandale, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Associated Press) 
 
 Steve Gordon of Madison, Wis., walks his dogs along Grandview Blvd. on the city's south side as a steady snowfall moves throughout the area Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The first major snowstorm of the season... (Associated Press) 
 
 Early morning motorists travel west along I-70 and into a winter storm near Lawrence, Kan., Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. Winter weather advisories are in effect for the area. The Midwest's first major snowstorm... (Associated Press) 
 
 A passengers reacts as she talks on her phone at Midway airport in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The first widespread snowstorm of the season crawled across the Midwest on Thursday, with whiteout... (Associated Press) 
 
 Snow-covered cars in a parking lot greet early morning risers in Madison, Wis. as a severe winter storm moves through the upper Midwest Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Wisconsin State Journal, John... (Associated Press) 
 
 This photo provided by the Iowa State Patrol shows the scene of a 25-vehicle pileup that killed two people and injured several others Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 on Interstate 35 about 60 miles north of Des... (Associated Press) 
 
 A flight information screen displays canceled flights as passenger walk at Midway airport in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The first widespread snowstorm of the season crawled across the Midwest on... (Associated Press) 
 
 A truck makes its way down a snow covered Interstate I-35/I-80, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. The first widespread snowstorm of the season began a slow crawl across the Midwest on Thursday... (Associated Press) 
 
 CORRECTS NUMBER DEAD TO TWO INSTEAD OF THREE, AND LOCATION OF ACCIDENT TO INTERSTATE 35 INSTEAD OF INTERSTATE 80 - This photo provided by the Iowa State Patrol shows the scene of a 25-vehicle pileup that... (Associated Press) 
 
 Snow clearing crews in Pine Island, Minn were out early trying to clear roads before morning commuters headed to work on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The first major snowstorm of the season began its slow... (Associated Press) 
 
 A towing crew from Moody's of Rochester, Minn. hooks up a tanker trailer truck that lost control and landed in the median of U.S. 52 North near Oronocco, Minn. Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The first major... (Associated Press) 
 
 The storm, part of a system that began in the Rockies earlier in the week, led airlines to cancel more than 1,000 flights and caused whiteout conditions that left roads dangerous to drive on. It was blamed for deaths in at least five states, with parts of Iowa and Wisconsin hit with more than a foot of snow. 
 
 While some people went to work on digging themselves out even as the storm continued Thursday, others had less control: They were stuck waiting for word of new flight times. 
 
 Most of the canceled flights were in Chicago, where aviation officials said more than 350 flights were called off at O'Hare International Airport and more than 150 at Midway International Airport. 
 
 Southwest Airlines, which canceled all of its flights out of its Midway hub after 4:30 p.m. Thursday, was anticipating normal operations Friday morning in Chicago. United Airlines also planned to operate a full schedule, though spokeswomen for both airlines cautioned travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. 
 
 Erin Henderson is among the people hoping to get out of O'Hare Friday morning. The 20-year-old college student was trying to return home to Kansas City after five months of studying abroad in Italy when she arrived in Chicago early Thursday evening to learn the last leg of her flight had been canceled. 
 
 Exhausted and teary-eyed, Henderson said she planned to get some sleep in a nearby hotel before trying to catch a flight to St Louis early Friday. She said her father planned to drive across Missouri to get her. 
 
 "It was the closest I can get," Henderson said. 
 
 In Madison, Wis., more than 19 inches of snow fell, prompting the University of Wisconsin at Madison to cancel Thursday's finals. Senior Elle Knutson, 21, said she spent most of the day in her apartment chatting with friends on the Internet and staring out her window at the snow. 
 
 "At first it was kind of nice, but I'm going a little stir-crazy," Knutson said Thursday night. 
 
 The storm made travel difficult from Kansas to Wisconsin, forcing road closures, including a 120-mile stretch of Interstate 35 from Ames, Iowa, through Albert Lea, Minn. Iowa and Wisconsin activated National Guard troops to help rescue stranded drivers. 
 
 In Iowa, two people were killed and seven injured in a 25-vehicle pileup. Drivers were blinded by blowing snow and didn't see vehicles that had slowed or stopped on Interstate 35 about 60 miles north of Des Moines, state police said. A chain reaction of crashes involving semitrailers and passenger cars closed down a section of the highway. 
 
 Three other states also had traffic deaths that were blamed on the storm. There were at least two deaths in each Nebraska and Wisconsin, and one in Kansas. 
 
 In southeastern Utah, a woman who tried to walk for help after her car became stuck in snow died Tuesday night. 
 
 On the southern edge of the storm system, tornadoes destroyed several homes in Arkansas and peeled the roofs from buildings, toppled trucks and blew down oak trees and limbs in Alabama. 
 
 The flight cancellations were getting a lot of attention because the storm came just a few days before Christmas. But Daniel Baker, CEO of flight tracking service FlightAware.com, called it "a relatively minor event in the overall scheme of things." 
 
 By comparison, airlines canceled more than 13,000 flights over a two-day period during a February 2011 snowstorm that hit the Midwest. And more than 20,000 flights were canceled during Superstorm Sandy. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa; Margery Beck in Omaha, Neb.; Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis; Scott Mayerowitz in New York; Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Mo.; Jason Keyser in Chicago; Barbara Rodriguez in Des Moines; and Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City, Iowa contributed to this report. ||||| Elementary school students, some escorted by parents, cross a snowy street en route to school as a blizzard dropped snow over Boulder, Colo., on Wednesday. (Photo: Brennan Linsley AP) Story Highlights Parts of Iowa and Wisconsin hit with more than a foot of snow 
 
 Death toll spans 5 states 
 
 Airlines cancelled about 1,000 flights ahead of the Christmas holiday 
 
 A major snowstorm that was sweeping across the Midwest and beyond, left at least eight people dead, clogged highways and forced hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at airports already bracing for the holiday rush. 
 
 The storm was blamed for deaths in at least five states, with parts of Iowa and Wisconsin hit with more than a foot of snow. 
 
 In Utah, a woman died trying to walk for help after her car became stuck in the blizzard. Storm-related traffic deaths also were reported in Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska. 
 
 Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin activated National Guard troops to help rescue stranded drivers. 
 
 CLOSE Major airlines are expecting to get their planes flying again Friday, one day after a major winter-like storm grounded around one-thousand flights in the Midwest. Restoring normal road traffic in the region could take longer. (Dec. 21) AP 
 
 Blizzard warnings were in effect in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, according to the National Weather Service. The Weather Channel reported that parts of 17 states are under winter weather advisories -- as far west as Washington state and as far east as Maine. 
 
 The storm brought much-needed precipitation for drought-plagued regions but was bad news for holiday travelers. Most of the nation's big airlines responded to the storm's threat by enacting flexible rebooking policies for passengers scheduled to fly into the storm's path. 
 
 The storm led airlines to cancel about 1,000 flights ahead of the Christmas holiday — relatively few compared to past big storms, though the number was climbing. 
 
 More than 600 flights were canceled at Chicago's two airports, O'Hare and Midway. O'Hare is a major hub for both United and American, meaning the disruption could ripple out and affect fliers at other airports. 
 
 MORE: Storm snarls flights in Chicago, Midwest 
 
 Southwest Airlines, which canceled all of its flights out of its Midway hub after 4:30 p.m. Thursday, was anticipating normal operations Friday morning in Chicago. 
 
 United Airlines also planned to operate a full schedule, though spokeswomen for both airlines cautioned travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. 
 
 American Airlines cancelled flights scheduled to depart after 8 p.m. CT on Thursday. 
 
 The snowstorm walloped Iowa, where almost a foot of snow has fallen in Des Moines. State police said a 25-vehicle pileup killed at least two people, and across Iowa 30,900 customers were without power Thursday, including more than 25,000 in the Des Moines area. 
 
 The storm dropped as much as 13 inches of snow on portions of central Iowa, paralyzed travel, knocked out power to scores of people and closed schools, government offices and businesses across the state. 
 
 "It's just awful out there," Capt. Mike Winter of the Iowa State Patrol said. "People need to just stay home." 
 
 The storm made travel difficult from Kansas to Wisconsin, forcing road closures, including a 120-mile stretch of Interstate 35 from Ames, Iowa through Albert Lea, Minnesota. 
 
 Most major roads across Iowa remained closed either by official order or impassible due to snow and ice buildup late Thursday. 
 
 The Iowa State Patrol said at least 88 crashes occurred on highways and interstate systems Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon. There were also at least 164 emergency calls from the public and 161 motorist assists. 
 
 On the southern edge of the storm system, tornadoes destroyed several homes in Arkansas and peeled the roofs from buildings, toppled trucks and blew down oak trees and limbs Alabama. 
 
 In southeastern Wisconsin, where a blizzard warning was in effect, sheriff's officials said slick conditions led to at least two fatalities late Wednesday when a driver lost control of his car in Rock County, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. 
 
 The weather service was forecasting "thundersnow" in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas, where snow could fall at the rate of 2-3 inches an hour. 
 
 Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency, which put the state emergency government, National Guard, State Patrol and other agencies on high alert. 
 
 At least two people in Nebraska died in crashes blamed on poor driving conditions, the State Patrol said. In many areas, drivers were being told to stay off the roads because of whiteout conditions. Most of I-80 in the state was closed. Nebraska's biggest school districts canceled classes, as did many districts across the region. 
 
 In Utah, Washington County sheriff's detective Nate Abbott says the woman and a man were driving when their car got stuck in rural Washington County on Tuesday night during the storm that hit the Rocky Mountain region. 
 
 He says the pair started walking for help, but the woman couldn't go any farther and sought shelter while the man continued on. Search-and-rescue teams later found her body. 
 
 Although the Plains and Midwest could do without the travel headaches, precipitation should be welcome. 
 
 More than 93% of the high Plains region and 54% of the Midwest are enduring drought conditions, according to Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks drought. 
 
 Out west, the leading edge of a powerful storm system arrived in Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Rain is expected across Northern California from late Thursday through the weekend, with heavy snow possible in the Sierra Nevada range as the system moves east. 
 
 Four to seven feet of snow is forecast to fall above 7,000 feet, prompting the U.S. Forest Service to issue an avalanche warning for Mount Shasta. 
 
 Contributing: Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY; Michael Winter, USA TODAY; the Associated Press; The Des Moines Register 
 
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– Seven people died across four states as a winter storm continued to tear through the Midwest, dumping more than a foot of snow on sections of Iowa and Wisconsin. A 25-car pileup in Iowa killed two people, and nearly 100 accidents were reported in the state by late last night. Kansas, Wisconsin, and Nebraska also suffered deaths, the AP reports. Weather warnings are in effect in 17 states spanning the lower 48, from Washington to Maine. But the National Weather Service says the Midwest storm should "finally begin to wind down" today; it's headed over the Great Lakes and into Canada. Meanwhile, some 1,000 flights have been canceled—actually a lower number than in previous storms, USA Today notes. About 600 of those were at Chicago's two airports, which could affect travelers elsewhere. Some 20,000 people have lost power in Iowa, particularly around Des Moines, CNN reports. The storm did bring some good news for students at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, which saw 19 inches of snow: Yesterday's final exams were cancelled.