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    • Roads closed, power outages reported
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    Roads closed, power outages reported

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    Residents of New Mexico and Colorado hunkered down Thursday in biting winter conditions, making roads impassable, as forecasters predicted historic amounts of snow could fall in the region.

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

    Blizzard warnings, winter weather warnings and advisories were in effect across much of New Mexico and Colorado. The snowstorm was expected to last through Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.

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

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

    “If you hear numbers on the news that seem incredibly high for November snowfall, believe them. This is a BIG storm,” the weather service in Albuquerque warned Wednesday.

    Lisa Pieniazek, a teaching assistant who lives in Sandia Park, New Mexico, about 25 miles outside Albuquerque, told USA TODAY on Thursday that 18 inches of snow had fallen near her home and that nearby roads are icy and muddy.

    Pieniazek said she knocks on snow-covered wood hoping the power will stay on. Not far from her she knows people who have lost power. At her home the power flickered a few times a night. About 25 miles west, roads were wet but unobstructed, and 50 miles east the highway was closed due to accidents and poor visibility, she said.

    “We’re kind of in the middle of it,” Pieniazek said. “It’s a little more than we’ve had in recent history.”

    Roads covered in snow and ice as cars become stranded

    More than 100 vehicles are stranded on highways 56, 412 and 87, the weather service in Albuquerque said. People were urged to stay off the roads so emergency services can rescue drivers. Several car accidents were reported on the eastern slopes of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.

    “Travel is strongly discouraged,” the weather service said.

    Sections of highways in both directions were closed Thursday in the northeastern corner of New Mexico as roads were covered in ice and snow, state police said. Making travel conditions worse, dense fog was expected to develop Thursday and Friday nights, forecasters said.

    Several feet of snow in parts of Colorado is also possible

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

    “Very heavy snow” is expected along the South I-25 corridor both Thursday and Friday. Three to four feet of snow could fall in Huerfano and Las Animas counties, rivaling historic October and November snowfall there.

    At its heaviest, snowfall could come down at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, and possibly up to 3 inches per hour. Visibility will drop to a quarter mile or less, the weather service said.

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