Almost all of I-70 from the eastern border of Colorado to Denver – 157 miles – was closed early Tuesday afternoon because of white out conditions and icy roads. Local broadcaster KUSA said as many as 150 cars had been stranded on Interstate 25 in the morning.
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Colorado and parts of Nebraska and Kansas will see blizzard conditions and risky travel through Monday night and into Tuesday, when the worst conditions are forecast, AccuWeather predicts.
“I’ve got to go to Liberal, Kansas, and this is the best way to go”.
Truck driver Fernando Rendell said he was headed to Kansas City, Missouri, but stopped after seeing two trucks in the ditch along the slick interstate. State highway officials closed I-70 eastbound from E-470 to Limon at about 7:30 a.m. because of blowing and drifting snow. No one was inside the building at the time, but hazardous materials teams were working to contain a chemical leak.
As the system pushed east, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch through 4 p.m. Tuesday for parts of Texas, including Houston, and through 6 p.m. for a large part of Arkansas, where heavy rain had led to standing water in Little Rock and winds caused property damage in the southwest part of the state.
A strong winter storm blanketed the Rocky Mountains with several inches of snow immediately, setting up what might be a dicey Tuesday morning commute in a few places and forcing the cancellation of over 200 flights in Denver. Downed trees blocked roads overnight and at least 10,000 customers remain without electricity across Los Angeles County.
A tow truck, right, pulls up to clear a tractor-trailer and sports utility vehicle stuck in snow on an off ramp off Interstate 70 as a winter storm packing high winds and snow blankets the plains Tuesday, November 17, 2015, in Aurora, Colo.
Snow will also fall in New Mexico and Wyoming.
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Denver worldwide is warning travelers that delays can occur and to check flight status before heading to the airport, though things are returning to normal as the snow moves out of the area.
