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© AP PictureNick Trenkamp shovels his driveway to get to his car.
Wichita, Kansas - A powerful snowstorm is threatening holiday travel across the southwest and Great Plains.

Blizzard warnings were either in effect or scheduled to begin Monday as the storm barreled toward parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

In southern Colorado, blizzard conditions were expected to drop between 8 and 16 inches of snow and threaten the closure of Interstate 25 from New Mexico into the state.

Heavy snowfall was predicted from southwestern Kansas, south into the Oklahoma panhandle, south toward Amarillo, Texas, and west into the New Mexico plains. Wet, heavy snow was already creating tricky driving conditions near Santa Fe, N.M.

In Kansas, winds up to 45 mph were expected to create whiteout conditions that could threaten holiday motorists.