Denver and other Rocky Mountain cities are digging out of a massive snow storm

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Early Monday, more than 27 inches of snow had been reported at Denver International Airport, Denver’s fourth-heaviest snowstorm since the data was tracked in 1881, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

Although the storm was all but over Monday afternoon, more than 16,000 customers are without power in Colorado, according to PowerOutage.US. According to the website, most outages are concentrated in Weld and Larimer counties, just north of Denver.

Throughout the state, several major roads were closed, including two sections of highway.

CNN’s Derek Van Dam, reporting from Boulder, said heavy snow has toppled tree branches and power lines and cars have stranded across town. Very cold temperatures left ice shelves on some snowy streets, he said.

Thousands of flights to Denver International were canceled. The airport tweeted that the runways were closed for flights on Sunday and would remain closed until at least 2 p.m. on Monday as the crews cleared the snow from the runways.

Governor Jared Polis’s office closed all state offices in Denver and surrounding counties for the day due to the extreme weather.

Storm now heading for the Midwest

More than 12 million Americans were under winter weather warnings Monday afternoon, according to CNN meteorologists.

The blizzard is now reaching the Midwest, including areas just south of Minneapolis and just west of Chicago.

A whopping 6 to 8 inches of snow is forecast in parts of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa on Monday, causing slow travel and potential airport delays.

Record snowfall

Cheyenne, Wyoming, had measured 36 inches of snow Monday morning, putting in a new two-day snow total.

The previous record of 25.2 inches was set in November 1979.

Denver state offices will be closed Monday, the governor's office says.

Boulder saw about 20 to 30 inches of snow, and the city of Estes Park has had just over a foot. More than 50 centimeters fell in Windy Peak, Wyoming.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said there is a “significant” avalanche threat to the Front Range through Tuesday.

Millions are under winter storm advisories as snowstorms and heavy rain move across the US

Heavy and intense snowfall from the current storm will cause large and devastating avalanches at all elevation levels, above and below the tree line, and in “unusual locations,” the center said.

Southeast of Denver, Elbert County has declared a state of emergency due to worsening weather conditions, said a tweet from the county public information officer.

“Keep in mind that abandoned vehicles that hinder snow clearance and rescue operations may be towed or otherwise relocated to enable emergency responders to ensure the safety of our citizens,” the tweet said.

Southeast could see flooding problems

Know the difference between a tornado watch, a tornado alert, and a tornado emergency

As the storm system moves east for the next days or two, the southeast could also flood.

In parts of Alabama and Georgia, between 5 and 10 inches of rain could fall Monday and Tuesday.

The weather service in Atlanta warned “Multiple rounds” of rain and storms were expected Monday through Thursday, with rainfall totals of 2-3 inches.

CNN’s Andy Rose, Leslie Perrot, Taylor Ward, Susannah Cullinane, Hollie Silverman and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.

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