Winter storm dumps snow, snarls traffic

this minute thumbnail 12:01 pm system is making travel difficult in some places-- as colder temp...  More »

this minute thumbnail 12:01 pm system is making travel difficult in some places-- as colder temperatures invade the state. lets go to austin reed-- he's live near i-40 and paseo del volcan -- with the latest on string of accidents in the western half of the state. it's so cold out here, but temperatures are above freezing. drivers on i-40 are still taking it minute thumbnail 12:02 pm slow. the big story though is just outside gallup. take a look at this video. a massive semi truck crash near the town of thoreau exit i-40 eastbound. a total of eight trucks were involved. state police say it was caused by one truck going too fast .... causing 7 others to lose control behind it. the interstate was shut down for close to two hours this morning. it has reopened ... but caused big headaches and delays for drivers. "...make a big difference" snow, heaving wind fog, low visibility for drivers. for about 30 miles outside albuquerque to the arizona state minute thumbnail 12:03 pm ne it's still lingering. you can expect these conditions throught the day, so be safe. austin reed, eyewitness news four. remember-- as this storm plows through-- and the weather gets colder-- there is a chance for things to get worse on the roads. you can always dial the state's road conditions hotline-- at 5-1-- to keep up to date with things. or-- just log onto k-o-b-dot- com-- where you can keep an eye on what's on the highways there-- as well. in the east mountains-- our crews saw a good amount of snow building on crest road-- going up to the sandia ski area. residents we spoke to hope the early snow will be good in the long run. "it might be a good thing, you know, get some early winter, get some snow pack on that mountain." while that man didn't have any problem getting out on the roads-- we did find one semi truck driver-- being told by law enforcement-- to add some chains on to his tires. and people around the city different have minute thumbnail 12:04 pm seen a lot of weather as well. let's go to gadi schwartz-- live in santa fe-- with what he's found. gadi? santa fe- sure woke up to some heavy snowfall- its mostly gone by now - but here is what it looked like earlier- as people commuted in from 1-25... around town the snowfall was heavy enough to send out snow shovelers- to hi the sidewalks. meanwhile up the mountain near the ski basin- plow trucks have been working to clear the road since midnight- ski santa fe workers are also busy prepping equipment to get the slopes ready for this year. putting the tracks on a new snow cat- owners tell us they already have a pretty good base- just over a foot. outcue: we will bekiing it. meanwhile inside - workers are already prepping ski rentals- minute thumbnail 12:05 pm they say they are aiming to open on time this year - around thanksgiving. last year the ski santa fe had to push its opening back because of poor conditions. they say so far - the snow falling this year is the best they have seen in quite awhile. in santa fe gs ewn4 the snow is accumulating up in farmington. our reporter up there saw five inches on the ground-- as more snow was continuing to fall. our crews didn't see any major problems on the roads-- but definitely-- be careful. in nearby kirtland-- we saw crews out trying to trim and clear fallen trees. some power lines were taken out because of the problem. the city of farmington-- which provides power to the area-- is still taking in the extent of the damage. crews are working on restoring power-- to the area. be sure to keep it tuned right here to eyewitness news four-- throughout the day-- for the latest on this weather system as it moves through  « Less