Blizzard Warning Issued For West Metro Denver, Boulder

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning Sunday for Denver's western metro area, Boulder and other Colorado cities. The warning will remain in effect until midnight.

"Significant snow accumulations have already occurred across the Front Range Mountains and Foothills, with a few spots already seeing greater than 2 feet, and well over a foot in the Fort Collins area," the winter storm alert read.

Winds are gusting between 35 and 45 mph in some Front Range areas, weather officials said.

"The most severe conditions from deep accumulating snow will likely occur in and near the Front Range Mountains and Foothills where totals of 2 to 4 feet can be expected, and along the I-25 Urban Corridor where 1 to 2 feet will likely fall," the alert read.

"Do not travel. Blowing and drifting snow will significantly reduce visibility with whiteout conditions at times."

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More than 2,000 flights out of Denver International Airport have been canceled.

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Xcel Energy reported 7,500 customers without power.

Xcel crews have been asked to carry chains in their vehicles to help them move quickly and safely through the snow.

“We have a seasoned crew well versed in quickly and safely restoring power in the most extreme conditions and this storm is no different," said Mark Newby, control center and trouble operations director in Colorado. "We are ready to respond.”

If your power goes out, you can help end the outage quickly by reporting it immediately, officials said. Customers have several ways to report their outage:

• Xcel Energy mobile app available on iOS and Android
• Online at xcelenergy.com/outage
• Text ‘OUT’ to 98936 to report an outage, or text STAT to the same number to check the status of a power outage.
• Call 1-800-895-1999 and follow the prompts — the automated phone reporting system lets customers report outages in less than 60 seconds. Once the cause of the problem is identified, the system or an Xcel Energy representative will provide customers with an estimated restoration time.

The Colorado National Guard is on standby this weekend to respond to emergencies during the snowstorm. The members are working with the state's Emergency Operations Center through Monday at noon to respond to search and rescue requests.

>> Read the full National Weather Service warning.

>> You can call 511 to check the latest road conditions, or you can check an interactive Colorado map and road cameras here.