Many Roads Remain Inaccessible With 15-Foot Drifts
The Colorado wing of the Civil Air
Patrol (CAP) launched a dozen aircraft on Sunday over snow-packed
Colorado helping authorities search for motorists who might be
stranded after a second massive winter storm blanketed the area
with up to two feet of snow from Thursday through Saturday.
The crews said they were also searching for livestock caught out
in the weather.
Major highways in the region remained closed Sunday morning
including I70 east from Denver to Kansas, and I25 south from Pueblo
to New Mexico. (We are now giving ANN's managing editor Rob
Finfrock the benefit of the doubt. He says he is "stuck" at home
after driving to Albuquerque for a holiday visit with
family.)
Although plowing crews have been working non-stop since the
storm struck, temperatures have remained below freezing keeping the
snow from sticking and allowing strong winds to blow the fluffy
stuff into drifts of truly remarkable dimensions -- 15 feet in some
areas!
An estimated 20,000 utility customers remain without power
as the storm's leading edge deposited up to 3 inches of ice across
the region.
Utility spokesman Al Butkus told the Associated Press, "That ice
stays there until it gets above freezing. And the temperatures
aren't moving above freezing."
This storm wasn't as powerful as the Christmas blizzard which
closed airports around the region for days. Airlines at Denver
International only cancelled 20 percent of their flights on
Thursday and Friday.
Despite that, the storm remains a memorable one. "This is a very
significant storm; it's in the record books," said Scott Blair, a
meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Mother Nature wreaked havoc all the way from Canada to New
Mexico, and as far east as Oklahoma with areas of that state's
panhandle reporting 18 inches of snow.
"They don't have any reports of injuries or fatalities, however
they haven't been able to get out to the outlying rural areas to
check, but are now checking on the homes where they know there are
elderly people or those with special needs," said Michelann Ooten,
spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency
Management.
CAP pilots and spotters train for aerial search missions such as
Sunday's over the Rockies. Colorado wing spokesman Steve Hamilton
said, "When you're spotting stranded vehicles, they're pretty easy
to see from the air."