Vehicles sit buried in a neighborhood on Denver's west side on Friday, Dec. 22, 2006, after a blizzard swept over the city. Some mountain areas got more than 3 feet of snow, and up to 25 inches fell in the Denver metropolitan area. Airports and highways were closed and bus and train service was shut down.
Bert Kennedy of Denver stands at the Frontier Airlines ticket counter at Denver International Airport Friday, Dec. 22, 2006. Hundreds of people stood in lines snaking through the airport, desperate for a flight out as the airport finally resumed flights after being snowed in for nearly two days.
Aric Wilkerson, an 8-year veteran of the Copper Mountain Ski Patrol, tosses a hand charge with a two-and-a-half minute fuse into Spaulding Bowl, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006, in Copper Mountain, Colo., while working on basic avalanche control at the ski area as a major snowstorm blankets much of Colorado.
Travelers wait in line at Denver International Airport, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, near Denver. A major snowstorm blew across Colorado toward the Plains on Wednesday, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places and forcing the airport to close, stranding thousands of holiday travelers.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper chats with a pair of youngsters who were sledding down a hill in west Denver, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, as a blizzard seized the interior West. A major snowstorm blew across Colorado toward the Plains on Wednesday, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places and forcing the airport to close, stranding thousands of holiday travelers.
A Christmas display off Gapter Street in Boulder, Colo., captures the essence of a major snowstorm that blew across Colorado, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006. The storm dumped more than a foot of snow in some places and forced the Denver airport to close, grounding hundreds of flights full of holiday travelers.
A lit tree sits covered with freshly fallen snow near the small town of Nederland, Colo., Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006. A major snowstorm blew across Colorado, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places and forcing the airport to close, stranding thousands of holiday travelers.
Pedestrians navigate a snow-covered street in downtown Denver, Wednesday night Dec. 20, 2006.
A truck sits along Highway 25 southbound north of Fort Collins, Colo., Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006. The truck slid off the highway, across a frontage road and stopped after pulling down power a line. A major winter storm is expected to drop about 20 inches of snow on Fort Collins.
An U.S. Postal Service van drives by branches downed by snow in Amarillo, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006.
A woman talks on her cellular phone as she fights the blowing snow during a snowstorm Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, in Thornton, Colo. The Denver area is expected to receive 14-24 inches of snow in the next 24 hours.
Drivers heading toward Denver International Airport, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, are cautioned not to stop along Pena Boulevard as a winter storm brings blizzard conditions to Colorado which closed the airport.
A vehicle makes its way past a tree limb broken off from ice, blocking a lane of traffic, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, in Garden City, Kan. Southwest Kansas was forecast for continued freezing rain changing to snow through Thursday.
Icicles drape off a handrail early Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 at Bobs Super Store in Kearney, Neb., as Terry Fulks of Kearney, makes a delivery. People were preparing for drifting snow, freezing rain and whiteout conditions as a winter storm hit the eastern rockies and plains states on Wednesday.
The aftermath of wintry weather is seen near Organ, N.M, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. Travelers were left stranded at Albuquerque's international airport and traffic along the state's major interstates inched along for much of the day as a winter storm dumped about a foot of snow in some areas before ambling toward Plains states.
Caleb Boyd, 7, slides down a hill by Florida Road, near his home in Durango, Colo., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006.
Hannah Kleiman, 12, left, and her mother, Kay Kleinman, walk their dogs, Kilty and Teddy, amid the falling snow Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006, in the Richmond neighborhood of Albuquerque, N.M.
Evening fog settles in a snow-covered field next to the post office in Bluewater Village, N.M., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. Some areas of Cibola County reported receiving up to 16 inches of snow during Tuesday's storm, with more expected throughout the week.
Snow covered ornaments hang from a tree decorated for the holidays at Altura Park in Albuquerque, N.M., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. A storm packing wind and snow forced police to shut down Interstate 40 in western New Mexico and caused a number of public schools to close Tuesday.
A cyclist rides through wet snow on a Durango, Colo., street Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006, during a snow storm.