At a Glance

Colorado and South Dakota activated their state emergency operations centers.The governor of Minnesota said the National Guard was standing by to help stranded motorists.Portions of interstates were closed in Minnesota, South Dakota and Colorado.

Winter Storm Wesley continued to blow across the Plains and Midwest Thursday morning closings schools, cancelling flights and shutting down interstates.

Portions of the interstate were shut down in Colorado, Minnesota and South Dakota, and more closures were expected as blizzard conditions become more widespread.

Blizzard warnings extend over , from northeastern Colorado to southeastern Wyoming, northwest Kansas, western and central Nebraska, much of South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. Forecast snowfall amounts across the region ranged anywhere from six inches to 30 inches.

Schools were closed altogether or let out early in much of the region, hundreds of flights were canceled and road conditions deteriorated rapidly throughout the afternoon.

Here's a look at preparations and impacts by state:

Colorado

Officials in Colorado and Wyoming encouraged businesses to close down early so their employees could get home before the weather worsened.

"The current storm is bringing rain, snow, wind, and blizzard conditions," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "Road conditions are getting worse and we encourage folks to avoid travel."

Interstate 70 was closed in both directions between Vail and Copper Mountain due to accidents.

(MORE: Powerful Winter Storm Wesley Prompts Blizzard Warnings in the Plains and Upper Midwest)

The Colorado Rockies baseball team postponed an afternoon game against the Atlanta Braves as conditions continued to worsen in Denver. An evening Major League Soccer game between the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders was also postponed. More than were canceled at Denver International Airport, the Denver Post reported.

Airlines, including Delta, United and Frontier, offered travel waivers for customers in the path of the storm. Travelers flying on Wednesday and Thursday can change flights at no charge on some routes.

Colorado activated its emergency operations center to deal with any impacts from the storm. 1,800 trained snow-removal personnel and 950 maintenance trucks were standing by.

The Dakotas

South Dakota also activated its emergency operations center. Several inches of snow had already fallen in parts of the state by late afternoon, while a layer of ice covered cars and roads in some areas. Gov. Kristi Noem closed state government offices in 52 counties, and at least two counties issued warnings to drivers to stay off the roads.

A portion of Interstate 29 from Brookings to the North Dakota border was closed, and the state Department of Transportation expected a section from Sioux Falls to Brookings to also close, depending on how quickly weather and road conditions deteriorated. Interstate 90 was closed between Cactus Flats to Mitchell.

Early reports of power outages started to trickle in Wednesday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.

School was called off for both Wednesday and Thursday in Rapid City and other parts of the state.

(MORE: Why Snow is Different in Spring Than the Heart of Winter)

"This is a dangerous storm! Heavy snow and high winds will result in . Really think about whether you need to travel," the South Dakota Department of Public Safety tweeted.

The state's highway patrol warned drivers about several hazardous roadways.

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, one of the poorest areas in the country, is bracing for the winter storm that could bring more flooding, the Associated Press reports.

Concerns were also mounting about flooding once all the new-fallen snow starts to melt.

In March, Winter Storm Ulmer dumped heavy snow on Pine Ridge, which lead to severe flooding. Hundreds of people were trapped in their homes. The flooding also damaged or destroyed hundreds of miles of roads and dozens of buildings, disrupted water supplies to thousands and prompted the governor to send in the National Guard, the Associated Press reported.

This next storm is renewing fears of more flooding in an areas still trying to recover.

"Damage is going to be in the hundreds of millions," tribal spokesman Chase Iron Eyes said. "Things are beginning to dry out, but now there's a huge blizzard predicted. On this reservation, it's kind of a constant crisis the way we live here, and these disasters just put us in a perilous position."

As the system moved eastward across the northern and central Rockies and the northern Plains, thundersnow was reported early Wednesday in parts of South Dakota, including in Pierre, the state's capital city.

Minnesota

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said "the National Guard stands ready" to rescue any stranded motorists. Multiple crashes along a snowy stretch of Interstate 35 prompted officials to close about 10 miles of the highway temporarily Wednesday evening.

As of 5:30 p.m. CT, were reported and at least 15 semis had jackknifed.

The National Weather Service in Minneapolis said up to 23 inches of snow were expected overnight, with a potential layer of ice on top, and winds could gust as high as 50 mph.

(MORE: Why Do Snowfall Forecasts Change as a Potential Storm Gets Closer?)

"Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel," the weather service warned.

Nebraska

The Nebraska State Patrol closed a portion of Interstate 80 between the Wyoming border and Interstate 76 early Wednesday evening. Several other local roads are also closed in the Nebraska panhandle.

Wesley also impacted efforts to prepare for more normal springtime weather - several states in the storm's path cancelled tornado drills that were planned for Thursday as part of National Severe Weather Week.