ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s governor declared an emergency Thursday after a strong crisis winter storm Heavy snowfall, high winds and freezing temperatures left tens of thousands of people without power as they pushed into the northern two-thirds of the state and into Colorado.

Dozens of crews from the Public Service Company of New Mexico were mobilized to address this problem. widespread outages This had been reported throughout the night and early morning from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond, with snow slamming tree branches into power lines.

The utility acknowledged its frustrations and urged residents to be patient, saying about 19,000 people were still affected by Thursday evening’s outages. That number was down from 50,000 earlier in the day.

“This is truly an unprecedented storm because it came this early and with such intensity, while there were still leaves on the trees. It caused the limbs to weigh much more than they normally would,” PNM spokesman Jeff Buell said, adding that crews were handling hundreds of separate repair jobs in Albuquerque alone.

With more snow in the forecast, Buell said there could be additional outages through Friday.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proclamation unlocks state funding for emergency response efforts. Funding will also go to the New Mexico National Guard, which is helping clear the roads.

Schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and other places in northern New Mexico canceled classes, while officials warned people to stay off the roads. Plows were busy trying to keep major highways open, but state police announced around noon that Interstate 25, just south of the Colorado border, was closed in both directions.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a blizzard warning for parts of the state and reported more than 100 vehicles were stranded on highways in the state’s northeast corner. Forecasters warned of “very dangerous driving conditions” made worse by low visibility due to snowfall.

Interstate 70 in Colorado’s Eastern Plains was also closed; Residents of the state were bracing for what some said was the biggest November snowstorm to hit the Denver area in years. Some people reported Thursday that there was already more than 14 inches (35.56 centimeters) of snow on the ground.

National Weather Service Weather station He said extensive and widespread disruptions could be expected as the storm moves through New Mexico and Colorado, with 1 to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow falling within an hour in some spots.

Tonja Goode Ross said she would stay home and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate instead of trying to face the “first real snow” of the season for Corona. This rural part of central New Mexico has become a winter wonderland, with pastures blanketed in a thick blanket of snow and tree branches bending from the weight of fresh gunpowder.

Almost 30.48 centimeters of snow fell in the early morning hours, and another 6.35 centimeters (2.5 inches) fell in a 2-hour period.

“Moisture is always a blessing here, no matter what its form,” he said.

The weather service warned that the storm could bring historic amounts of snow by Friday. A height of more than 1.22 meters was expected in some parts. Forecasters said snowdrifts could reach as high as 6 feet, potentially making some travel impossible for days.

In Albuquerque, city officials said frigid temperatures and snowfall led to nearly 120 traffic accidents, while the fire department responded to more than 100 calls about downed power lines and downed trees.