APS and Rio Rancho schools will be closed Thursday

Feb. 2—One person was killed and another hospitalized after a vehicle rolled off the Sandia Crest road down the mountain Wednesday afternoon as a heavy snowstorm created deadly driving conditions across central and northern New Mexico.

State Police urged drivers to stay home as temperatures dropped and road conditions deteriorated, leading to crashes along Interstate 25 south of Santa Fe and along Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa and Tucumcari.

In the metro area, a normal 10-minute commute home turned into an hourlong saga navigating snowpacked roads that quickly turned to ice. By 6:30 p.m. Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that it had responded to 24 crashes, 13 of them with injuries, and four rolled vehicles.

"Please be careful driving as the snow continues to fall in the east mountains and throughout the county," the agency tweeted.

Weather conditions also prompted the city of Albuquerque to suspend all ABQ Ride fixed-route, Albuquerque Rapid Transit and Sun Van service Wednesday evening.

Albuquerque and Rio Rancho public schools, meanwhile, announced that they would be closed on Thursday.

Accumulations of snow in Albuquerque through Thursday may reach 5-8 inches in the foothills, 4-7 inches on the West Side and Rio Rancho, and up to 3 inches in the Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

The high temperature in the metro area was expected to reach 35 degrees at the Sunport but was 23 degrees by 4 p.m. with a wind chill bringing it down to 5 degrees. The overnight low was forecast to be around 12 degrees. Thursday's high may reach 25 degrees with lows Thursday night of about 9 degrees.

The lowest temperature in the state is forecast for Angel Fire, where it is expected to drop to minus 22 degrees by Friday morning.

The blast of frigid weather striking New Mexico was part of a massive storm system affecting millions of Americans across dozens of states to the east and northeast all the way to Maine and into Canada.

Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow on Wednesday as airlines canceled more than 5,000 flights Wednesday and Thursday.

New Mexico school closings on Wednesday were a mixed bag in the Albuquerque metro area and from Santa Fe south to Belen.

The Albuquerque Public Schools in the city limits remained open Wednesday, while the East Mountain APS schools were closed. All APS Wednesday evening activities, including athletics, were canceled districtwide.

Rio Rancho Public Schools was holding classes, while the Bernalillo Public Schools and Santa Fe Public Schools were closed.

Los Lunas and Belen public schools remained open.

The University of New Mexico closed its Albuquerque campus at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

School officials recommend checking their respective websites or calling their district offices for updated information.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation reports difficult driving conditions throughout the state, including the Albuquerque area. Updated road conditions are being posted regularly at NMroads.com.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office responded around 2:30 p.m. after a vehicle rolled off the Sandia Crest road and 100 feet down the mountain. The agency said on Twitter that one person was confirmed dead and one was taken to the hospital.

"All of Sandia Crest from the base is shut down, do not attempt to access this road at this time," BCSO tweeted around 2:45 p.m.

State Police were investigating a multi-vehicle crash that killed at least one person along I-40 west of Santa Rosa. In a Twitter post, State Police discouraged travel and asked people to stay home if possible. Those who choose to travel, "should be prepared to encounter road closures and long delays," the post read.

Eastbound I-40 was closed at mile marker 218, at Clines Corners, due to a multi-vehicle crash. Traffic was being diverted onto southbound U.S. 285 to northbound U.S. 54.

A second vehicle crash on eastbound I-40 near mile marker 63, in the Prewitt/Bluewater interchange area, forced the closure of the right lane of traffic.

The Albuquerque Department of Municipal Development has 35 employees salting and plowing the roads in 12-hours shifts, Mayor Tim Keller said Wednesday morning.

"We know that when these storms are combined with bitter cold temperatures for days at a time, things can get dangerous," he said. "We've been through this before and are responding across departments to keep folks safe and make sure that vulnerable communities have access to resources they need."

Likewise, Bernalillo County Public Works road crews have been working to keep East Mountain roads drivable and safe.

County road crews were clearing roads until 7 p.m. Wednesday and will be out again starting at 4 a.m. Thursday, said Bernalillo County Director of Operations and Maintenance Antonio Jaramillo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.