Season's First Snow

A sparrow sits out the season's first snow in a barberry bush, Monday, Nov. 14, 2005, in Pocatello, Idaho.

Autumn leaves are weighed down by the first snow of the season, Monday, Oct. 10, 2005, in south Denver as traffic crawls through an intersection in the background. The snow, which accumulated to about four to six inches by mid-morning, snarled traffic and caused closures because of snapped power lines.

A lone pedestrian walks down a slippery Colorado Boulevard sidewalk in southeast Denver as the first autumn snowstorm of the season snarled traffic and caused closures in the metropolitan area Monday, Oct. 10, 2005. The storm dumped roughly six inches of snow in parts of the metropolitan area.

A Colorado highway patrol officer responds to a truck accident on I-70 near the Airport Boulevard exit on Monday, Oct. 10, 2005, in Aurora, Colo. The autumn snowstorm knocked out power for thousands of people, closed an 80-mile stretch of a major highway and triggered rock slides in the foothills. Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the mountains.

Bruce Hoyt, a parent who volunteers at Slavins School in southeast Denver, reaches up to knock heavy, wet snow off one of the trees on the grounds of the school on Monday, Oct. 10, 2005, as the first snowstorm of the season enveloped Colorado. The school, like many others in the south metropolitan area, was closed because power was knocked out by the snow.

Aubree Wallery, left, and Ciara Deichl make their way home in the snow after school Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005, in Billings, Mont. Thousands of homes in eastern Montana, western North Dakota and northern Wyoming were without power Wednesday morning after a slow-moving snowstorm dumped large amounts of heavy, wet snow across the region.

A 5th Civil Engineer Squadron snowplow clears an intersection Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005, at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. Thousands of homes in Montana and western North Dakota were without power Wednesday morning after a slow-moving snowstorm dumped large amounts of heavy, wet snow across the region.

Snow covers flowers at the Billings, Mont., airport during a snowstorm Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005. Thousands of homes in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, including many in and around Billings, were without power Wednesday morning after a slow-moving snowstorm dumped large amounts of heavy, wet snow across the region.

Greg Johnson, right, and Chad Hoffman move a cart along a cleared sidewalk while making a delivery at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Eight to ten inches of wet, heavy snow fell over parts of the Black Hills in Western South Dakota Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Senior Airman Kevin O'Reilly, 5th Security Forces Squadron, clears his base housing driveway at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Only snow and mission essential airmen reported to duty because of the storm. As of 11 a.m., the base had received 5 inches of snow, had winds averaging 40 knots and maintained a temperature of 32 degrees, according to the Air Force.

North Dakota Department of Transportation workers close a gate across Interstate 94 in Mandan, N.D., Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. A major snow storm caused 155 miles of Interstate 94 to be closed from Mandan west to the Montana border.

Montana State-Billings Athletic Director Gary Grey and his son Daneson Grey roll giant snowballs to clear the school's soccer field of snow before a game with Dallas Baptist Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005, in Billings Mont.

Bo McCuan clears snow from his pickup before moving it from under a fallen tree branch in Sturgis, S.D., Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Many trees and branches gave way to the heavy wet snow from the first winter storm of the year in the Northern Hills town.

Broken tree limbs lie on the ground Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005, in Dickinson, N.D., after one of the earliest major snow storms to hit North Dakota in more than a century shut down highways, downed trees and knocked out power to thousands. National Guard soldiers were called out to rescue stranded motorists in the southwestern part of the state.

Downed power lines lie across a street, but are high enough to allow traffic to pass, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005, in Dickinson, N.D. Tree branches heavy with snow snapped throughout town to pull down power lines throughout the city.