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发帖数: 2273 | 1 (CNN) -- A powerful blizzard roared out of the southwestern United States
early Monday, threatening residents from Arizona to Kansas with a foot or
more of snow.
Combined with strong winds and icy roads, the snow could make driving during
the holidays dangerous across the region.
Snow, falling at a rate of up to two inches an hour, is expected in the
mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, the National Weather Service said.
The snow is forecast to start battering northeast New Mexico on Monday
morning. State emergency personnel and transportation crews there are on
call, officials say, ready to act if and when the storm hits hard.
Residents, meanwhile, have made their own preparations -- even on an
otherwise picturesque day on Sunday, with sunny skies and temperatures in
the 60s in some locales.
"I went to the grocery store, and it was packed," said Kevin Mueller of
Tucumcari, where he and his wife run the historic Blue Swallow Inn. "People
are out there, stocking up."
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for much of
Monday and Tuesday in large swaths of northeast New Mexico, southeast
Colorado, southwest Kansas, northern Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.
That means places like Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and Springfield, Colorado,
could see up to 2 feet of snow, though 8 inches to 16 inches will more
likely be the norm and lesser amounts may fall in other locales. That snow
will combine with potent winds, which are expected to be between 25 and 45
mph in spots.
The storm is the product of a "sharp blast of cold air" from the north that
will turn rain into snow and possibly lead to "white-out conditions," the
weather service said.
"Travel will become dangerous, if not impossible across the region," the
weather agency's New Mexico division predicts.
About 700 New Mexico highway personnel are set to clear the roads, with
plenty of road salt also on hand to deal with ice, said Manon Arnett, a
spokeswoman for the state transportation department.
Those crews will be out focusing first on interstates, then on other roads,
she added. If visibility diminishes or the roadway gets too slick, it will
be up to state police as to whether a given thoroughfare is temporarily shut
down, according to Arnett.
Southeast Colorado is also expected to experience blizzard conditions, with
the National Weather Service warning people to "avoid traveling in the area."
"Life-threatening winter weather conditions are expected," the agency said.
No flights had been canceled as of Sunday night at Rick Husband Amarillo
International Airport in north Texas, said aviation director Patrick Rhodes.
But the officials there have talked about what to do next at a planning
meeting Sunday, including getting the airport's six snow plows ready.
"We're on the dividing line between 3 inches and 9 inches (of snow)," he
said.
Amarillo residents were told to expect rain overnight that will switch to
snow Monday afternoon.
In Tucumcari, Mueller said his inn has emptied, like many store shelves,
ahead of the storm. He's hoping the wintry weather won't prevent his son,
who is set to fly in from Kentucky on Tuesday, from reuniting with the
family in time for Christmas.
As for unexpected guests at the inn, Mueller said that he has a plow ready
to clear the driveway and rooms are ready for snow-weary travelers.
"We plan to leave our lights on," he said. "If we get calls, we're ready to
help."
CNN's Sean Morris, Greg Botelho, Jessica Jordan and Dave Alsup contributed
to this report. | l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 2 Global cooling is coming. |
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