The governor of New Mexico declared on Thursday a emergency after a powerful storm wintry left tens of thousands of people without power as strong snowfallfierce winds and temperatures below zero they advanced through the northern two-thirds of the state and reached Colorado.
Dozens of crews Company of Services New Mexico publics were mobilized to confront the blackouts widespread that had been reported during the night and in the early hours of the tomorrow from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond, as the snow caused tree branches to fall onto power lines.
The utility acknowledged frustrations and urged residents to be patient, saying there were about 19,000 people still affected by the blackouts on Thursday night. That was down from 50,000 earlier in the day.
“This is really a storm unprecedented in the fact that it came so early and so strongly while the leaves were still on the trees. That has caused the extremities much heavier than they normally would be,” said PNM spokesman Jeff Buell, adding that crews were dealing with hundreds of separate repair jobs in Albuquerque alone.
with more snow in it forecastBuell said there could be blackouts additional until Friday.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s declaration unlocks state funds for disaster response efforts emergencies. Funds will also be channeled to the Guardia New Mexico National, which has been helping to clear the roads.
Las schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and other places in northern New Mexico they canceled classes, while authorities warned people to stay off the roads. The machines snowplow They were busy trying to keep major highways clear, but state police announced at noon that Interstate 25, just south of the Colorado border, was closed in both directions.
The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a warning of blizzard for parts of the state and reported that more than 100 vehicles They were stranded on roads in the northeast corner of the state. Forecasters warned of “very dangerous driving conditions” made worse by low visibility due to the snow.
Interstate 70 through the eastern plains of Colorado was also closed, as residents of that state prepared for what some said could be the storm of snow largest to hit the Denver area in November in years. Some people reported Thursday that they already had more than 14 inches (35.56 centimeters) of snow on the ground.
The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said extensive and widespread outages could be expected as the storm advances through New Mexico and Colorado, dropping between 1 and 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow in an hour in some places.
Tonja Goode Ross said she would stay home and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate rather than try to challenge what was the “first nevada real” of the season by Corona. This rural part of central New Mexico became a paradise wintrywith its pastures covered by a thick capa of snow and the branches of its trees inclined by the weight of fresh gunpowder.
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Nearly 12 inches of snow had fallen early in the morning tomorrow and another 6.35 centimeters (2.5 inches) in a 2-hour period.
“Moisture is always a blessing here, no matter what form it comes in,” he said.
The meteorological service warned that the storm could bring historic amounts of snow until Friday. More than 1.22 meters (4 feet) were expected in some parts. The piles of snow They could exceed 6 feet (1.83 meters), making some trips impossible, potentially for days, forecasters said.
In Albuquerque, city officials said temperatures icy and snowfall caused about 120 traffic accidents, while the fire department responded to more than 100 calls related to downed power lines and downed trees.
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