Blizzard Makes Travel 'Dangerous' or 'Impossible' in Parts of West, Midwest
By the
CNN Wire Staff
Updated 6:07 AM EST, Tue December 20, 2011
Blizzard hits the West and Midwest.
(CNN) -- Travel through the southern Rockies into the central Plains "will be dangerous, if not impossible" on Tuesday, forecasters said, as a winter weather system blasts parts of the West and Midwest.
Early Tuesday morning, blizzard warnings stretched from northeast New Mexico to southeast Colorado, western Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle and far northern Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
"Blizzard conditions with wind chill temperatures below zero are expected," the agency said.
In addition, winter storm warnings stretched farther across New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas. Heavy snowfall was reported in eastern Colorado and western Kansas early Tuesday, along with freezing rain and sleet across south-central Kansas. Blustery winds of 20 to 50 mph were also reported.
But "it appears the heaviest snowfall with this system has ended, as the disturbance tracks toward eastern Oklahoma," the National Weather Service said. Snow across the Rockies was expected to end Tuesday morning, but will continue across the central Plains until late in the day, the weather agency said.
But areas such as Pie Town, New Mexico, and La Junta and Springfield, Colorado, have already seen more than 15 inches of snowfall since Sunday evening. Interstates and highways were shut down Monday night as at least five states contended with heavy snow, fierce winds and ice.
The visibility in parts of western Kansas and southeast Colorado was less than a quarter-mile, said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
New Mexico State Police shut down Interstate 40, a major east-west artery, from Albuquerque to the Texas state line, saying there was zero visibility due to blowing snow. Interstate 25 was shut down from just north of Albuquerque to the Colorado state line because of the blizzard conditions, which included snow-packed and icy roads.
The state police also shut down U.S. and state highways in the northeast corner of the state.
Texas authorities closed I-40 westbound in the Texas panhandle at New Mexico's request. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Transportation said motel rooms had already filled in Tucumcari, New Mexico, the first major town on I-40 across the state line, because drivers weren't allowed to travel any farther on the highway.
Cohen called it a strong storm system that is producing "very hazardous" conditions. While such storms typically occur during the winter months, he said, the large area of strong winds combined with the snow is unusual. Texas Gov. Rick Perry activated the Texas Military Forces as a precautionary measure to provide any needed assistance on the roads, his office said.
Snow accumulations of up to 6 inches were likely, with higher accumulations expected across the northwest Texas Panhandle, Perry's office said. Vehicle crashes were reported around Amarillo, which lies along I-40 on the Texas panhandle, said Trooper Gabe Medrano of the Texas Department of Public Safety. He said snow fell heavily Monday evening, and the situation was getting worse.
"We have whiteout conditions for the north of Amarillo at this point," he said, adding the roads will probably freeze over once the snow stops. "It's going to make for pretty bad conditions."
Flights were canceled at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport for early Tuesday morning, spokesman Patrick Rhodes said, but normal operations were expected to resume by mid-morning.
To the north, in the Oklahoma panhandle, U.S. highways were closed and transportation workers were salting the roads, according to Michaelann Ootean of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
Roads and highways were "completely snow-packed" or covered with ice in much of western Kansas on Monday, according to the state's Department of Transportation. They included Interstate 70, which crosses the state from west to east, and Interstate 135 through Salina.
Two U.S. highways, 50 and 54, were shut in southwest Kansas. The DOT said U.S. 50 was closed because of blizzard conditions and "multiple accidents" in Colorado.
The Colorado Department of Transportation shut down highways across the southeastern part of the state because of snow and icy conditions. Interstate 25 was shut southbound from Pueblo to the New Mexico state line, and the DOT said lodging was unavailable south of Colorado City. Northbound I-25 remained open.
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