Photos of the Winter Storm That's Hit Everyone from Denver to New England

This past weekend, a series of winter storms swept across the country from Dallas all the way up to Milwaukee, shutting down airports, causing 30-car pileups, and wreaking havoc on the NFL schedule along the way. The storm is now sweeping over the East Coast today, but has already left a messy trail of snow, ice, and travel headaches behind.

It also left some amazing images of the first hits of winter. All photos via the Associated Press.

Philadelphia

The Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles played one of the wildest games in recent memory, despite freezing conditions and eight inches of accumulation on the field. Doing so gave us some pretty great shots of very cold football players: 

And on the seventh day, God created snowy football:

This seems really uncomfortable:

It got so bad that some Philly residents simply assumed the snow had turned the city into a Thunderdome where the regular laws no apply. 

RELATED: With Grace, Alice Munro Delivers Her Nobel Prize Lecture Online

In Morgantown (around three hours away from Philadelphia), the wintry weather was responsible for a series of pileups involving more than 50 cars, and one accident that killed one person. Drivers on the state turnpike were stranded for more than 4 hours, as they were unable to exit or go back through the snow.

Dallas

The average temperature in Dallas during the month of December is around 58°F with lows of around 39°F. An ice storm battered the city late last week, and left 20,000 without power as of Monday.  The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport canceled hundreds of flights, sending a ripple of travel nightmare throughout the country.

This is what it looked like on Sunday: 

Frozen basketball can be just as cool as frozen football:

This is IH-35E southbound just north of Dallas. This is misery:

Milwaukee

The winter weather had devastating results in Milwaukee including a 30-car pileup on I-94:

Denver

It got cold in Denver too. At the Denver Zoo, these cheetahs were not having it:

RELATED: Why American Soccer Fans Are Bummed About Their 'Group of Death' Sentence

The zoo's red panda looked a little more comfortable:

So did the arctic fox:

Kentucky

This is looks like a scene from snowy suburban Connecticut or Vermont. The home is actually in Paducah, Kentucky:

Another shot from Paducah:

The wintry weather is still continuing today, with Texas still trying to dig itself out of the snow and the Northeast's commute challenged by wintry train. 

This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/culture/2013/12/weekends-winter-storms-photos/355910/

Read more from The Wire

•   Waitress Behind Fake Anti-Gay Receipt Hasn't Given Her Donations to Charity

•   How the World's Papers Reacted to Nelson Mandela's Death