Dec 21, 2006 1:19 am US/Eastern
Fierce Snowstorm Closes Denver Airport
Colorado Governor Declares Emergency
DENVER (CBS News) ―
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Pedestrians cross the street during a snow storm in Denver, Dec. 20, 2006.
AP
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KCNC-TV photographer Tom Meyers took this photo in the metro Denver are on Wednesday at around noon.
CBS
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Cars tried to navigate a blizzard on Interstate 25 in Denver on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006.
CDOT
The Denver International Airport closed its runways because of a powerful snowstorm that has dumped more than a foot of snow in some places.
Denver's biggest airlines canceled roughly 1,000 flights. The airport plans to set up hundreds of cots, although officials are urging passengers to return home or check into hotels because its emergency supplies are limited.
Scores of schools called off classes and some major malls closed early, just five days before Christmas. Hundreds of miles of highways have been closed or clogged by accidents and slow-moving traffic.
Colorado's governor also declared a state of emergency. The official call frees up resources to help deal with the crushing pre-winter storm, CBS News correspondent Jennifer Miller reports.
The lumbering storm dropped more than a foot of snow in Colorado'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.
In Kansas, where parts of the state could see a foot of snow by tomorrow, the state closed 120 miles of Interstate 70 and police shut down about 60 miles of westbound I-70 from Colby, Kansas, to Burlington, Colorado.
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.
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.
With winter still two days away, Miller reports that it's already being called the biggest storm of the season. And before it's over, experts say it will probably be the biggest of the year.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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