ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s governor declared a state of emergency Thursday after a powerful winter storm left tens of thousands of people without power as heavy snow, fierce winds and freezing temperatures moved across the northern two-thirds of the state into Colorado.

Dozens of Public Service Co. crews of New Mexico were mobilized to address widespread outages reported overnight and in the early morning hours from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond, as snow caused tree limbs to crash onto power lines.

The utility acknowledged the frustrations and urged residents to be patient. About 19,000 people were still affected by the outages as of Thursday evening. That was down from 50,000 earlier in the day.

“This is truly an unprecedented storm because it came so early and so heavily while the leaves were still on the trees. That has caused limbs to become much heavier than they normally would be,” said PNM spokesman Jeff Buell, adding that crews were dealing with hundreds of separate repairs in Albuquerque alone.

With more snow in the forecast, Buell said additional outages could occur through Friday.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s declaration frees up state funding for emergency response efforts. The funding will also be funneled to the New Mexico National Guard, which has helped clear roads.

Schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and elsewhere in northern New Mexico canceled classes, while authorities warned people to stay off the roads. Crews were busy keeping major highways clear, but state police announced around noon that Interstate 25, just south of the Colorado border, was closed in both directions.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a blizzard warning for parts of the state and reported more than 100 vehicles stranded on highways in the northeastern corner of the state. Forecasters warned of “very dangerous driving conditions” made worse by poor visibility due to blowing snow.

Interstate 70 across Colorado’s Eastern Plains was also closed as residents of that state braced for what some say could be the biggest snowstorm to hit the Denver area in years in November. Some people reported Thursday that there was already more than 12 inches (35.56 centimeters) of snow on the ground.

The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said extensive and widespread disruptions are expected as the storm moves through New Mexico and Colorado, dropping between 1 and 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow in some places within an hour.

Tonja Goode Ross said she would stay home and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate instead of trying to brave the Corona-related “first real snow” of the season. This rural part of central New Mexico was transformed into a winter wonderland, the meadows blanketed in a thick layer of snow and the tree branches bent by the weight of fresh powder.

Nearly 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) of snow had fallen by early morning, and another 2.5 inches (6.35 centimeters) fell within a two-hour period.

“Moisture is always a blessing here – whatever form it comes in,” she said.

The weather service warned the storm could bring historic amounts of snow through Friday. More than 1.22 meters was expected in some parts. Snow drifts could reach heights of up to 6 feet (1.83 meters), making travel impossible — possibly for days, forecasters say.

In Albuquerque, city officials said frigid temperatures and snowfall resulted in about 120 traffic accidents, while firefighters responded to more than 100 calls related to downed power lines and fallen trees.