Travelers in Wyoming and Colorado were bracing Thursday for disruption similar to that caused by last week's storm.

New Year's travelers jammed the Denver airport, trying to get out of town ahead of a snowstorm that threatened to close runways and gum up the nation's busy holiday travel season for the second time in a week.

In Wyoming and Colorado, crews were gearing up for long hours to try to keep highways clear.

Ken Shultz, state maintenance engineer with the Wyoming Department of Transportation, said Thursday that snowplow crews were preparing to try to keep the highways clear. Last week's storm resulted in closure of both Interstate 25 between Colorado and Cheyenne and I-80 from Cheyenne east to Nebraska.

"I think the biggest point that we can make is that if the storm does happen, and it's anywhere close to as severe as the previous one, that if people don't have to be out on the roads, that they stay home, or stay off the roads," Shultz said. "That makes things a lot easier for our guys. We realize that some people have to be out there."

The storm was expected to dump up to 16 inches of snow on the Denver area overnight, a week after a pre-Christmas blizzard shut the airport for more than two days. The shutdown stranded 4,700 holiday travelers and backed up flights around the country.

Managers at the nation's fifth-busiest airport drew up snowplowing plans, and airlines urged ticket-holders to flee Denver early or delay departures until after the storm. By 2 p.m. United Airlines and Frontier, the two biggest carriers at Denver International Airport, had canceled more than 180 flights.

Mill and Ann Younkers arrived hours early to check in for an evening Frontier flight back home to Naples, Fla. The couple's trip to see their daughter in Denver was delayed three days by the first storm, and they did not arrive until Christmas morning.

Mill Younkers said he was holding a backup reservation for Sunday and was ready to reclaim his rental car if needed.

"You just have to have a good sense of humor and keep your patience," he said. "Try to always have a Plan B."

The airport and airlines called in extra workers, and security lines moved relatively quickly. But long lines formed at ticket counters as travelers tried to adjust their plans. The Frontier line snaked across the cavernous terminal and wrapped around behind the lines of other airlines on the other side of the building.

Frontier waived its usual change fee to encourage passengers to catch earlier flights. "Let's try and get as many people out ahead of the storm as we can," Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas said.

Significant weather-related delays at a major hub such as Denver can delay air travel throughout the country, with passengers missing connecting flights and airlines juggling routes to avoid affected airports, said David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, an industry group. Many flights from Wyoming airports go through Denver, and a shutdown there results in canceled flights here.

The National Weather Service said the storm could buffet Colorado and southeast Wyoming with wind gusts up to 45 mph, whipping heavy snow into blinding whiteouts. Denver could get 18 inches of snow by Friday morning, and up to 2.5 feet were forecast for the Rocky Mountain foothills.

In last week's storm, 61-year-old Alice Lloyd of Laramie County died when her vehicle became stuck on a county road north of Hillsdale and she tried to walk for help. Searchers found her dead in the driveway of a home about five hours later. Officials said she was not dressed appropriately for the blizzard.

Kelly Ruiz, a spokeswoman the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, said Thursday that stranded motorists should not leave their vehicles.

"If individuals are on the road, and get stuck in a snowdrift, stay in the car," Ruiz said. "Make sure they have plenty of gas, keep their exhaust pipes cleared, and stay in the car."

Sgt. Stephen Townsend of the Wyoming Highway Patrol said his agency urges motorists to be prepared for winter driving by making sure all their lights are working and that they have snow tires or chains.

In addition, Townsend said that if people find snow gates closed on highways, they should return to the nearest town and not wait on the highway for the gates to open. Vehicles parked on the highways prevent plows and emergency vehicles from getting through, he said.

Click here for related story 'Storm dumps more than 2 feet of snow west of Denver'.

Click here for related story 'Winter storm sets record for Cheyenne's December snowfall'.

Click here for related story 'Storm forces cancellation of 100s of flights at Denver airport'.

Click here for related story 'Wyo braces for winter storm'.

Click here to go to the Casper Star-Tribune.net home page. At the bottom of the page find the AP video 'Snowstorm threatens to close Denver airport'. Other videos include:

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Information:

Wyoming Roads - WYDOT

CST Weather Page

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Afton partly cloudy

Alcova partly cloudy

Big Piney partly cloudy

Boundurant partly cloudy

Buffalo partly cloudy

Cheyenne light snow

Chugwater light snow

Cody partly cloudy

Cokeville partly cloudy

Dayton partly cloudy

Douglas cloudy

Dubois partly cloudy

Encampment light snow

Evanston partly cloudy

Gillette light snow

Glendo light snow

Glenrock light snow

Greybull partly cloudy

Green River partly cloudy

Hanna light snow

Hulett light snow

Jackson partly cloudy

Jeffrey City partly cloudy

Kaycee partly cloudy

Kemmerer partly cloudy

Lander partly cloudy

Laramie light snow

Lovell partly cloudy

Lusk light snow

Mountain View partly cloudy

Medicine Bow light snow

Meeteetse partly cloudy

Moorcroft light snow

Newcastle light snow

Pine Bluffs light snow

Pinedale partly cloudy

Powell partly cloudy

Rawlins light snow

Riverton partly cloudy

Rock Springs partly cloudy

Saratoga light snow

Sheridan partly cloudy

Shoshoni partly cloudy

Sundance light snow

Ten Sleep partly cloudy

Thermopolis partly cloudy

Torrington light snow

Upton light snow

Wamsutter partly cloudy

Wheatland light snow

Worland partly cloudy

Yellowstone partly cloudy