Blizzard threatens to bury Colorado, Plains

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/12/2....ap/index.html

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- Heavy snow blew across Colorado on Wednesday, canceling hundreds of airline flights and shutting down a major highway, as a winter storm plowed onto the Plains after pummeling New Mexico.

The National Weather Service posted blizzard warnings for most of eastern Colorado and adjoining sections of Nebraska and Kansas.

Up to 5 inches of snow had fallen by the morning rush hour in the Denver area. Two feet of snow was possible in the foothills just west of Denver, with 2 to 3 feet a possibility farther north. Up to 20 inches could accumulate on the Plains of eastern Colorado. Wind up to 30 mph could pile the snow into high drifts.

United Airlines, the busiest carrier at Denver International Airport, canceled more than 630 flights for the rest of the day, and Frontier Airlines planned to cancel up to 40 afternoon flights, representatives said.

"This is a step that we need to take because of what Mother Nature is throwing at us," said United spokesman Jeff Kovick.

Eastbound Interstate 70 was closed for 90 miles from Limon to the Kansas line and police shut down about 60 miles of westbound I-70 from Colby, Kansas, to Burlington, Colorado. Travelers stalled by the closures starting filling Kansas motels during the morning, said Stan Whitley, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

Dozens of schools were closed in eastern Colorado and northwest Kansas, along with many courthouses in eastern Colorado.

The lumbering storm dropped more than a foot of snow in the state's southwestern mountains Tuesday, with 19 inches at the Wolf Creek ski area and 17 at Durango Mountain Resort.

"We've been waiting for a big storm to hit, so this was the best early Christmas present," Durango Mountain Resort spokeswoman Loryn Kasten said.

The broad storm also spread rain across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska on Wednesday, with snow in western Kansas and Nebraska, where police reported vehicles sliding off I-80 in the Nebraska Panhandle. Ice accumulating on branches and power lines also caused power outages in the area.

The storm rolled into Colorado from New Mexico, where roads around the state were still snowpacked and icy Wednesday. Numerous schools opened late or remained closed.

Up to a foot of snow fell at higher elevations of northwest and west-central New Mexico on Tuesday, and snow and sleet closed sections of I-40 across eastern New Mexico and in the Texas Panhandle.

Albuquerque International airport was closed for several hours Tuesday as snow covered runways.