Depending on where you live in Colorado, Wednesday's story was just an inconvenience or life-threatening. And for many people in northeast Colorado, the conditions will continue, likely until noon Thursday.
Forecasters say a powerful, spring storm that smacked Colorado's Front Range just before Wednesday's evening rush hour is bringing heavy snow, whiteout conditions and wind gusts of up to 45 mph to the eastern plains.
The National Weather Service warned of near zero visibility in areas northeast of Denver to the Nebraska state line, and the Colorado Department of Transportation has closed a 150-mile stretch of Interstate 76 on the eastern plains because of blowing snow. Interstate 70 is also closed between Kansas and the Denver metro area.
Blizzard warnings have been issued for the northern half of Colorado's heavily populated Front Range region, including Denver, as well as the state's northeastern plains through midday Thursday. Blizzard warnings also were posted for southeastern Wyoming, including Cheyenne, from Wednesday into Thursday.
At Denver International Airport, crews worked overnight to clear the airfield. About 180 flights were canceled for Thursday, but officials there say they expect to be operating normally by early afternoon.
Many schools are operating on a delayed schedule, but some in northeast Colorado, including in Weld County, are closed Thursday.
