Storm Leaves More Than 2 Feet of Snow in Rockies

A major late-season storm gathered strength in the Rockies on Thursday, leaving more than two feet of snow in ski areas as it moved toward the Plains and creating blizzardlike conditions that closed Wyoming highways.

Heavy snow was falling in Wyoming and Colorado, where winter storm warnings were in effect. The National Weather Service said up to 15 inches of new snow was possible in the Colorado mountains.

The storm buried the Brian Head ski area of northern Utah under 28 inches of new snow, while Alta, Utah, received 15 inches. High winds accompanying the storm gusted more than 60 m.p.h. in the northern Utah mountains.

In Wyoming, five inches of snow fell within four hours at Lander, and 110 miles of Interstate 80 in south-central Wyoming was closed because of blowing and drifting snow and near-blizzard conditions.

Fifty miles of U.S. 191 south of Rock Springs, Wyo., to the Utah border also was closed.

The strong winds accompanying the storm pushed the windchill index to 29 degrees below zero at Jackson in northwest Wyoming and to 10 below in south-central Wyoming.

“Heavy snow, strong winds and cold temperatures will affect much of the central High Plains,” weather service forecaster Lyle Alexander said.

Winter storm watches were posted in western Nebraska, western and central South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota. Eastern South Dakota and southern Minnesota also were under a winter storm watch.

In Oregon, Interstate 84 was closed for more than six hours Wednesday night at Cabbage Hill, east of Pendleton, as five inches of snow caused scores of trucks to slide off the road, officials said. Almost a foot of new snow fell in the state’s Blue Mountains over a 24-hour period through early Thursday.