27 OCTOBER. COLORADO: WEATHER

Martha Bellise, writing for Associated Press, reports that four people died of freezing or carbon monoxide poisoning in their cars while stranded in a record blizzard. The blizzard blew through the Rockies and onto the Plains on Saturday left as much as 50 inches of snow in the Colorado Rockies, 22 inches in parts of Denver and 35 inches in the city's suburbs. Drifts were as high as 15 feet. Highways in Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado were impassible. Snow-plowing crews were hampered by cars abandoned in mid road. In Colorado, four people were found dead in their cars and were believed to have died from freezing or carbon monoxide poisoning. At least four others died, two of exposure while lost in the snow. Denver received almost two feet of snow; its suburbs received almost three feet. In the Rockies, up to 50 inches fell. (While it is not clear that ENSO is directly responsible for the blizzard, Colorado's last major storm also occurred during an ENSO year, 1983.--Ed.)