By Judith Kohler
Associated Press
DENVER — Still recovering from last week’s blizzard, Colorado cities braced Wednesday for another storm that could bring more than a foot of snow and high winds to the state and cause planes to be grounded at Denver International Airport again.
The National Weather Service said a storm, expected Thursday, could pack gusts up to 45 mph, whipping the heavy snow into blinding whiteouts. Weather Service forecasters said flights from Denver’s airport could be delayed or even canceled but cautioned the storm’s path and intensity were difficult to predict.
Crews were still trying to clear away ice and hard-packed snow from last week’s storm. “Believe it or not, the first storm is not over for us,” said Saleem Khattak, streets manager for Colorado Springs’ Public Works Department.
Last week’s storm dumped up to 3 1/2 feet of snow on some parts of the state, shutting down highways, schools, businesses and mail delivery in some towns and cities. Denver’s airport was closed to all flights for 45 hours, stranding about 4,700 people at the airport one night.
Meanwhile, utility crews in San Francisco scrambled Wednesday to fix power lines knocked over during a winter storm that snarled traffic, killed one woman and left tens of thousands of people without electricity across Northern California.
The post-Christmas storm had passed through the San Francisco Bay Area by Wednesday morning.
Downed power lines caused by heavy rains and winds left more than 100,000 customers without power Wednesday morning, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spokesman Brian Swanson said.
One woman was killed when the storm’s powerful gusts pushed an oak tree into a home, Marin County Fire Department spokeswoman Sarah Gibson said.
The storm had forced some flight delays Tuesday at San Francisco International Airport. But by Wednesday, flight arrivals were on time while some departures were slightly delayed, airport officials said.