One Casper postal customer Thursday just couldn't understand why the post office couldn't get her package to Denver by today, the postmaster said.

Maybe she hadn't seen the news.

With Denver and its airport snowed under by a major blizzard, Casper residents will have to be patient and understand that Christmas mail could face delays.

Both the post office and the UPS office in Casper said workers will be taking on extra shifts on their days off to get as much mail through as possible.

It's "very unusual" that postal carriers will work Sunday in Casper, postmaster Susan Gray said.

Still, mail coming in from out of state through Denver may not all make it by the holiday.

And whether outgoing mail could make it to its destination by Christmas depends on where it's going and how much customers are willing to pay.

The Denver International Airport is supposed to open today at noon, according to the Denver Post.

Unless long-distance packages are sent Express Mail, where they're flown directly out of Casper to Memphis, "Chances aren't looking so good right now" for getting them delivered by Christmas, Gray said.

The Billings post office has been extremely helpful and is sending trucks this afternoon to pick up Casper's outgoing mail, currently sorted and sitting in bins, Gray said.

At the UPS hub in Casper, manager John Cooper said, "The loads from Denver did not make it here today."

Outgoing packages dropped off by today will be diverted through Billings.

"They'll be a day late but they'll get there before Christmas," he said.

He said he's been scrambling to get the contingency plan under way but things are pretty slow today. It should be busy again as soon as the backed-up packages come through, and drivers will be working Saturday shifts to help get packages out.

At the UPS Store in Casper, manager Emily Walters said she wasn't guaranteeing customers that their mail could arrive in Denver by Christmas.

"I have just told people, 'You know, if you don't feel like paying the extra money to get it guaranteed, don't, because it's not going to be.'"

People should also be patient about receiving packages, too, she said, and they can check online to find out the shipping status.

"We've had a lot of calls saying, 'I had a package coming…,'" she said. "It's going to be delayed."

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Information:

Wyoming Roads - WYDOT

CST Weather Page

Road Cams

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