Highways in Colorado and Wyoming are closed after heavy snowfall

Denver- Schools in eastern Wyoming and northern Colorado remained closed Tuesday for a second day, and roads were impassable after heavy snowfall.

Crews expected some highways to remain closed for another day, despite the reopening of Interstate 25 south of Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming for the first time since Saturday.

A weekend storm threw more than 30 inches of snow on Cheyenne with accumulations of up to 1.5 meters that even four-wheel drive trucks could not reach. Municipal authorities have warned that many side streets will remain impassable for several days.

Firefighters had to use a special vehicle called a snow cat to take doctors to the emergency room where the patient needed emergency surgery.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that volunteers using private snowmobiles have brought other people in need of critical treatment to the hospital.

It was the worst snowstorm the city has seen since 1979.

Work crews used bulldozers to remove snow from Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie.

The 80-kilometer stretch includes the maximum elevation on the road connecting the two coasts, a gorge 2,600 meters above sea level called the summit which is dangerous even in less severe storms.

Casper Star Tribune reported that schools remained closed in Casper, as city officials struggled to remove accumulating snow.

The Wyoming legislature was unable to meet for a second day.