A state of emergency is declared in New Mexico after an early winter storm leaves thousands in the dark

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's governor declared a state of emergency Thursday after a powerful winter storm left tens of thousands of people without power as heavy snow, fierce winds and freezing temperatures swept across the northern two-thirds of the state and into Colorado .

Dozens of crews from the Public Service Co. of New Mexico were mobilized to address widespread outages reported overnight and into the early morning hours from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond as snow toppled tree limbs onto power lines.

The utility acknowledged the frustration and urged residents to be patient. He said about 19,000 people were still affected by the outages as of Thursday evening. That was down from 50,000 the day before.

“This is truly an unprecedented storm as it came so early and so violently while there were still leaves on the trees. This has resulted in the limbs being much heavier than they normally would be,” said PNM spokesman Jeff Buell, adding that crews in Albuquerque alone were dealing with hundreds of separate repair jobs.

With more snow forecast, more outages could occur through Friday, Buell said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's declaration unlocks state funding for emergency response. Funds will also be directed to the New Mexico National Guard, which helps clear roads.

Schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and elsewhere in northern New Mexico canceled classes while authorities warned people to stay off the streets. Plows were busy keeping major highways clear, but state police announced at midday that Interstate 25 was closed in both directions south of the Colorado border.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a blizzard warning for parts of the state and reported that more than 100 vehicles were stuck on highways in the northeast part of the state. Meteorologists warned of “very dangerous driving conditions” made worse by poor visibility due to blowing snow.

Interstate 70 through Colorado's Eastern Plains was also closed as that state's residents prepared for what could be the biggest snowstorm to hit the Denver area in years in November. Some people reported Thursday that there was already more than 14 inches of snow on the ground.

The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said extensive and widespread disruptions are expected as the storm moves through New Mexico and Colorado, dropping between 1 and 2 inches of snow in an hour in some places.

Tonja Goode Ross said she will stay home and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate rather than try to brave the “first real snow” of the season because of coronavirus. This rural part of central New Mexico was transformed into a winter wonderland, its pastures covered in a thick blanket of snow and its branches bowing under the weight of fresh powder.

By early morning, nearly a foot of snow had fallen and another 2.5 inches fell within two hours.

“Moisture is always a blessing here – no matter what form it takes,” she said.

The weather service warned that the storm could bring historic amounts of snow through Friday. In some cases more than 4 feet (1.22 meters) were expected. Snowdrifts could reach up to 6 feet (1.83 meters) high and make some travel impossible – possibly for days, forecasters said.

In Albuquerque, city officials said the freezing temperatures and snowfall led to about 120 traffic accidents, while firefighters responded to more than 100 calls related to downed power lines and fallen trees.