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DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis has declared an emergency due to the blizzard hitting much of Colorado.

The storm has had widespread impacts since snow started falling Wednesday morning. Wind gusts of 97 mph were recorded in Colorado Springs. At Denver International Airport, gusts of 80 mph and heavy snow forced the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.

Major highways are closed across the Front Range, including portions of Interstate 70, Interstate 25 and Interstate 76.

Home in the Denver metro area have been damaged by falling trees.

LIVE BLOG: Get the latest updates from the storm

About 3:15 p.m., the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said Gov. Polis authorized the activation of the Colorado National Guard and verbally declared an emergency. National Guard members will provide help to drivers stranded on Colorado roads.

Colorado State Emergency Operations Center #SEOC moves to Level II Operations as we bring in more resources to support #COwx impacts. The Governor has authorized the activation of the @CONG1860 andv erbally declared an emergency due to #COwx — CO – Emergency Mgmt (@COEmergency) March 13, 2019

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated shortly.