Snow Surprises Arizona

Parts of northern Arizona received more than a foot of snow, and children as far south as Tucson got a rare chance to play in the whiteness as one of the strongest winter storms of the year moved through the state.

Sunday's storm came amid a wave of winter storms that have brought snow, ice and strong winds to the Plains region, but also to the Southwest, including Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.

"The Great Plains will be sunny today after this weekend's latest snowstorm, but the trend will be that of warmer temperatures," says CBS News meteorologist George Cullen. "By tomorrow, readings should get into the 40's across much of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

"Elsewhere, it'll be snowy across New Mexico today, but dry and milder from Arizona to Southern California," Cullen added.

The harsh, frigid conditions were blamed for 11 traffic fatalities in the Plains over the weekend.

Although the heaviest snowfall in Arizona on Sunday was in the north, snow also fell in downtown Phoenix and Tucson, which received up to 1½ inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Glenn Jones, who lives on a small farm in Marana northwest of Tucson, said he was cold and wet and would be glad when it warms up again.

"I had chores to do today, animals to feed, to get ready for the week," he said. "I don't like to work in it. It's too cold. That's the reason I moved here — to get out of it."

In Colorado, several inches of snow fell and strong winds created whiteout conditions on the state's eastern plains.

Officials closed a long stretch of Interstate 70, from near Denver International Airport almost to the Kansas state line because of high winds, blowing snow, poor visibility and ice.

The Kansas Department of Transportation reopened its portion of I-70 Monday morning, after closing westbound lanes late Sunday night at Colby.

Snow and icy roads caused accidents that shut down southbound Interstate 25 near Fort Collins for two hours Sunday morning. State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said no injuries were reported.

A plane with 104 people on board skidded off a runway in snowy weather Sunday after the Northwest Airlines crew aborted the flight as it began accelerating for takeoff, airline officials said.

No serious injuries were reported in the late-morning incident. One passenger complained of a sore back and was to be examined, said airline spokeswoman Jennifer Bagdade.

The crew of Flight 1726 bound from Milwaukee to Detroit "opted to discontinue its takeoff due to an engine problem," the airline said in a statement. The plane came to a stop off the runway surface, the statement said.

"People were not screaming, they were pretty calm," said passenger Jeanne Hewitt. "Flight attendants were good and I think the captain's words triggered the emergency procedures."

In Oklahoma, where an ice storm disrupted power to as many as 125,000 homes and businesses more than a week ago, about 25,000 electrical customers remained without power late Sunday — mostly in the eastern part of the state.

Hundreds of utility linemen worked through the night in hopes of fully restoring power by Monday or Tuesday, authorities said.

Warmer temperatures in the state led to melting ice and snow that have turned roads into slushy rivers, yards into quagmires and streams into rushing torrents.

A pickup truck carrying radioactive materials used in pipeline scanning equipment was swept from a bridge and disappeared in a swollen creek in Pittsburg County, said Undersheriff Richard Sexton.

The truck's two occupants escaped unharmed, but efforts to locate the truck and its radioactive cargo were suspended after dark.

"The radioactive materials are still in the truck, and that's what we're worried about," Sexton said.

In Missouri, more than 45,000 people remained in the dark from the same storm.

Winter weather has also hit hard on the East Coast, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain to Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland and making roads treacherous. An accident on Interstate 81 in Virginia killed one person and injured five, authorities said.