Lucas Ian Coshenet/Farmington Daily Times via Associated Press

Greg Burridge (left), 13, dodges a snowball thrown by his friend Dylan Faverino, 11, at Colinas Del Norte Park in Farmington. Up to 3 inches of snow fell Thursday in northwestern New Mexico, prompting the boys' battle.

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The major winter storm wreaking havoc in Colorado mostly skirted Albuquerque, but icy highways to the north and east kept travelers and truckers pent up here overnight.

Snow and freezing temperatures forced State Police to shut down I-40 from Albuquerque east to Santa Rosa late Thursday, and it remained closed this morning.

I-25 from Albuquerque to Las Vegas was also closed Thursday, but reopened around 4 a.m. State Police continued to discourage travel from Bernalillo north to Las Vegas.

"It's been very treacherous - icy, snowpacked, very limited visibility," state Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson said this morning.

Authorities reported surprisingly few accidents, and no injuries, before the two interstates closed, Olson said.

"People were being very careful," he said.

Highway crews worked overnight Thursday to plow and sand the roads in hopes of making conditions more favorable for morning commuters and interstate travelers.

Police stopped traffic on I-40 at Tramway Boulevard, and told drivers to go home or find a hotel, Olson said.

"The road was closed to let snow plows get through," and police didn't want parked cars along the highway, he said.

It wasn't clear when the interstate would open, Olson said. The area east of Albuquerque was expected to get more snow and high winds today, creating hazardous driving conditions.

"It's a safety concern," he said.

Truckers packed Albuquerque truck stops after rolling in from the south or west. Travel Centers of America, near the Big-I, was overflowing with semi-trailers, said Kyle Anaya, who works in the center's shop.

"I have about 100 places" for trucks to park, Anaya said. "There's about 200 trucks here now. Every little space they can find, they'll put that 53-foot trailer."

The road closures are good for the center's store and restaurant, but not for his repair shop, Anaya said.

"If trucks aren't moving, they're not breaking down," he said.

Albuquerque International Sunport wasn't in the same bad straits as Denver, said spokesman Daniel Jiron. Fog was expected to delay a few flights this morning.

But the Sunport's 20 flights a day to or from Denver have already been affected by Colorado's fierce storm, he said. Some flights were canceled Thursday, and Jiron said he expected more to be rescheduled today.

His advice to travelers: Call your carrier.

Dan Porter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said the winter weather conditions would linger. The metro area could see snow tonight, while the northeastern part of the state will get whipped with winds gusting to 50 mph and snow.

"It's going to be brutal," Porter said.

Forecasters said an average of 3 to 6 inches of snow was expected with up to 10 inches in the higher terrain, and Cuba reported 16 inches overnight.

A winter storm warning has been issued until Saturday for the northern part of the state, where forecasters said heavy snow was likely.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.