Blizzard hammers Colorado; obstructs flights, other travel

DENVER – Hundreds of travelers were stranded at the Denver airport and along highways Sunday as a blizzard blew across eastern Colorado with wet, heavy snow.

Almost a foot of snow fell in Denver and 2 feet in Greenland, about 20 miles north of Colorado Springs, the National Weather Service said. Heavy snow was still coming down Sunday evening but was expected to fade overnight.

Fat, moisture-laden snowflakes were blown sideways by wind gusting to 30 mph. Utility officials reported that 11,000 customers were without power in the heavily populated Front Range region.

Most airlines canceled their flights for the day, including United Airlines, the biggest carrier at Denver International Airport, airport spokesman Steve Snyder said.

Hundreds of people were stranded at the airport, many stretching out on couches and the floor, using coats for pillows, or waiting in slow-moving lines at fast-food restaurants in the terminal.

“I need a drink and the lines are an hour long to get one,” traveler Brandi Hoenig said.

She and her husband, Jim, were on their way home to Cocoa, Fla., after a honeymoon ski trip, but their flight was canceled and all nearby hotels were filled. “We can’t get a flight until Tuesday afternoon,” Jim Hoenig said.

Flights were also canceled out of Colorado Springs throughout the day.

Whiteout conditions shut down a 16-mile stretch of heavily traveled Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs, 60 miles to the south. I-70 was closed in both directions in the Denver area. The state Department of Transportation said crews reported whiteout conditions on Interstate 76 near the Nebraska state line.

The storm, which struck western Colorado on Saturday, was expected to blow out of the area late Sunday, mostly turning to rain over the Plains.

A similar storm system in March 2003 paralyzed much of the greater Denver area with 3 feet of wet, slushy snow that destroyed trees and damaged homes.