Winter storm smacks New Mexico, could dump several feet of snow

Residents across New Mexico and Colorado hunkered down in biting wintry conditions Thursday that made roads impassable, as forecasters predicted there could be historic amounts of snow in the region.

Several inches of snow were expected in lower elevations. Forecasters said it could be a matter of "feet, not inches" in the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez and Sandia-Manzano mountains in New Mexico.

Blizzard warnings, winter weather warnings and advisories were in place across large parts of New Mexico and Colorado. The snowstorm was expected to continue through Friday evening, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said.

About 45,000 people were without power on Thursday in New Mexico. The Public Service Co. of New Mexico said on its website that crews are working quickly to restore power but that outages could be widespread and prolonged as the storm lingers.

Forecasters had been alerting residents of the coming storm for several days and urging them to take preparations such as gathering emergency supplies, filling up on gas, bringing pets indoors and checking on neighbors.

"If you are hearing numbers on the news that seem unbelievably high for snowfall amounts in November: believe them. This is a MAJOR storm," the weather service in Albuquerque warned Wednesday.

Lisa Pieniazek, an educational assistant who lives in Sandia Park, New Mexico, about 25 miles outside Albuquerque, told USA TODAY on Thursday that she got 17 inches of snow at her house, and roads nearby are icy and slushy.

Pieniazek said she is knocking on snow-covered wood in the hopes the power stays on. Not far from her, she knows people who lost power. At her house, the power flickered a few times overnight. About 25 miles west, the roads were wet but unobstructed, and 50 miles east, the interstate was shut down because of accidents and low visibility, she said.

"We're kind of right in the middle of it all," Pieniazek said. "It's a little bit more than we've had in recent memory."

Roads covered in snow and ice as cars get stranded

Over 100 vehicles are left stranded on Highways 56, 412 and 87, the weather service in Albuquerque said. People were urged to stay off the roads so emergency crews can rescue drivers. Multiple car accidents were reported in the east slopes of the Sangre De Cristo mountains.

"Travel is highly discouraged," the weather service said.

Portions of interstates in both directions were closed in the northeast corner of New Mexico on Thursday as ice and snow blanketed roads, the State Police said. To make travel conditions worse, dense fog was anticipated to develop Thursday night and Friday night, forecasters said.

Multiple feet of snow in parts of Colorado also possible

In Colorado, forecasters said several waves of snow would dump across the region through Saturday morning. The weight of heavy snow could lead to downed trees and power lines and disruptions to agriculture, the weather service in Pueblo said.

"Very heavy snow" is expected both Thursday and Friday along the South I-25 corridor. There could be 3 to 4 feet of snow in Huerfano and Las Animas counties, which could rival historical October and November snowfalls there.

Snowfall at its heaviest could come down at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, and possibly up to 3 inches per hour. Visibility will fall to at or under one-quarter mile, the weather service said.