Winter smackdown parks ABQ-DEN flights

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The wild weather in the central Rockies is taking its toll on travelers here in Albuquerque as well.

Only a little snow fell around the metro area overnight, but if you're looking to get to Denver Friday, you might want to make other plans.

There were 10 scheduled direct flights from Albuquerque to Denver, but as of noon seven of those had been canceled.

During the morning United was able to squeeze one flight in, but conditions dictated its four other flights be canceled.

Southwest and Frontier have canceled a total of three flights to Denver.

KRQE News 13 has been told at least a third of the flights in and out of Denver have been canceled, nearly 600 flights in total.

Among the travelers stuck in Albuquerque is a passenger from the United Kingdom who's trying to get to Denver to visit her family.

"The flight they've booked me on is for Sunday, which is alarming, so I've booked an extra flight on united heading out tomorrow morning," Tracy Cooper said. "I don't know if it'll happen or not yet."

A Southwest spokesman said the company will re-evaluate its later flights to determine if they can fly to Denver this evening.

Driving to Denver may not be any easier. Interstate 25 is open from Albuquerque to the state line, but farther north driving conditions get trickier.

Reports already tally 18 inches of snow west of Denver, Interstate 70 is closed east of Denver, forecasters say the storm through the weekend may make the Top 10 list of heaviest snowfalls in city history.

Online: KRQE.com Winter Weather Resource Guide : Find road conditions, weather forecasts, ski conditions and more.