Story Created:
Mar 18, 2012 at 12:07 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Mar 18, 2012 at 12:07 PM EDT
A winter storm packing heavy snow and gusty winds forced authorities to close 180 miles of Interstate 40 in northern Arizona on Sunday until further notice.
(CNN) -- A winter storm packing heavy snow and gusty winds forced authorities to close 180 miles of Interstate 40 in northern Arizona on Sunday until further notice.
The road was closed in both directions about 6:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. ET), said David Beck, dispatch supervisor for the Flagstaff office of the Arizona Highway Patrol. The closure stretched roughly from Kingman in western Arizona to eastward to Winslow, including the city of Flagstaff, he said.
Portions of Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff were also closed, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation's website, as were several state roads.
As of Sunday morning, Flagstaff -- with an elevation of about 6,900 feet -- had received between 8 and 10 inches of snow, with up to 36 inches forecast for some areas, Beck said.
Several crashes and reports of stuck vehicles had been reported, he said, with one person sustaining minor injuries on I-40.
Much of Arizona remained under a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning on Sunday. The warning was in effect until midnight Sunday. In addition to heavy snow, wind gusts of up to 30 mph were forecast for the Flagstaff area, according to the National Weather Service.
CNN's Maggie Schneider contributed to this report.
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