PORTLAND, Maine, Dec 2, (AP): The Northeast was getting ready Tuesday for its first major snowstorm of the season, just as the Midwest began to escape snow and ice that snarled travel after the Thanksgiving holiday. Some parts of northern New England were expecting up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of snow. A windy, potentially icy storm was headed to the region and could soak some parts of the area's six states while piling snow in others, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories in states including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut and New York ahead of the snow's arrival. The winter blast is set to arrive days after more than 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) of snow fell at Chicago O’Hare International Airport over the weekend, setting a record for the highest single calendar day snowfall in November at the airport, according to the weather service.

The previous record was set in 1951. Snow in the Great Lakes region was tapering off, but the new storm was heading to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow by Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Orrison. "It’s going to be the first snowfall of the season for many of these areas, and it’s going to be rather significant,” Orrison said.

The National Weather Service issued a warning for coastal Maine from Tuesday morning until Wednesday morning, stating that residents "should delay all travel if possible” due to snow. The state is one of many that is in for its first wallop of snow of December, forecasters said. In New Hampshire, the Department of Transportation on Sunday invited residents to submit names for its second annual name-a-plow competition.

"Welcome to The Department of the Seven Snowplows, our winter twist on a classic tale. Hawthorne had gables. We have orange snowplows just waiting for the perfect name,” the department said on social media. Last winner’s top name was Ctrl-Salt-Delete. This season’s winners will be announced in January.

With plowable snow expected to coat large parts of Pennsylvania, crews began to treat lanes along the 565-mile (909-kilometer) Pennsylvania Turnpike system on Monday, said the agency’s press secretary, Marissa Orbanek. Vehicle restrictions on many interstates in the eastern half of Pennsylvania, including on the turnpike system’s Northeast Extension, from the Lehigh Valley to Clarks Summit, will be imposed at 5 a.m. Tuesday.