As biting cold temperatures sweep across a large swath of the US, parts of the Great Lakes face up to two feet of additional lake-effect snow through Tuesday – the latest complication for cities already blanketed by snowfall amid post-Thanksgiving travel.

Areas within the Winter Storm Warning and directly along the lakeshore boundary should expect 6 inches of widespread snow, with localized amounts nearing a foot. Closer to the lakeshore in our northern counties are the purple Winter Weather Advisories. Snowfall totals will range from 3 widespread with localized 8 inches within these areas.

In late fall and winter, lake-effect snow is a common occurrence in the Great Lakes region. "Lake-effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes.

Lake-effect snow blowing in from the Great Lakes has blanketed parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, stranding hundreds of vehicles on roads and snarling post-Thanksgiving travel plans for millions.

More than 4 million people across five states were under winter storm alerts on Sunday as heavy lake-effect snow continued to bury the Great Lakes region, prompting emergency declarations and the deployment of National Guard troops to rescue stranded motorists.

Nearly two million people remain under lake-effect snow warnings through early Monday. CNN’s Polo Sandoval reports.