Tens of thousands of people in New Mexico were without power Thursday as the first major winter storm of the season rolled across the northern two-thirds of the state and into Colorado, bringing with it snow and fierce winds that forced schools and government offices to close.

Emergency crews were rescuing drivers who got stuck on snow-covered roads as a potentially record-breaking storm moves across New Mexico.

A slow-moving winter storm was expected to drop up to three feet of snow in parts of the two states through Saturday, causing perilous road conditions and power outages.