A major winter storm has prompted a blizzard warning as it batters parts of New Mexico and Colorado with heavy snow and high winds, contributing to tree damage, power outages and snarled traffic along parts of the Interstate 25 and 40 corridors.

This system is being named Winter Storm Anya by The Weather Channel due to the severity of its impacts in this region.

Latest status, reports

Snow is falling through the mountains and lower portions of northern and central New Mexico and southeastern and east-central Colorado.

The heaviest totals in any state to date are 34.7 inches near La Veta Pass, Colorado, and 24 inches north of Edgewood, New Mexico.

In Las Vegas, New Mexico, more than a foot of snow had fallen by early morning, more than half of the annual snow average of 24 inches. Nearly 10 inches of snow has piled up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the weight of the snow has broken some tree branches.

The National Weather Service has issued several winter storm warnings for parts of those states, including a blizzard warning in northeastern New Mexico.

Snow forecast totals, impacts

The heaviest snowfall will occur in northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado, where some locations could see 1 to 3 feet of snow (locally up to 4 feet). Drifts of up to 6 feet are possible in these areas.

According to NOAA’s Winter Storm Severity Index, this area with the heaviest snow can expect major to extreme impacts due to the combination of snow and high winds. These impacts include power outages, tree damage and possible roof collapse due to the weight of the heavy snowfall.

Parts of highways 40 and 25 have already been hit hard by the snowfall. including some closuresand that will probably continue until Friday.

Denver could see 6 inches or more of additional snow from this storm through early Saturday. Southern portions of the metro area up to the Palmer Divide are most likely to see the heaviest accumulations.

Timing The Storm

-​Until Thursday evening: Northern and central New Mexico and eastern parts of Colorado will be hard hit.

-​Friday-Friday evening: Snow should decrease in central New Mexico, but will persist in northeastern New Mexico and eastern Colorado.

-​Saturday: The worst of the storm has passed, but some snow showers may linger in northern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming.

Totals could approach records

In a few locations, the amount of snow falling could approach three-day records for New Mexico, according to data from the National Weather Service.

-Las Vegas: The current snowstorm record is 27 inches, set in 1958. The records date back to 1940.

-R​aton: The current snowstorm record is 26.5 inches from 1990. The records date back to 1953.

Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist at Weather.com for more than 10 years after starting his career at The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.