DENVER, CO – Last week, The Colorado Department of Transportation dispatched nearly 900 snowplows and tankers statewide, including 79 in the metro area. However, a day after the vehicles were dispatched, spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said things were not going well.

“These types of storms, when you have a lot of accumulation and a lot of wind, are very difficult,” she said, as quoted in the Rocky Mountain News.

Colorado Springs recounted a similar experience. The city had dispatched 43 snowplows at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, but it was unable to stay ahead of the heavy storm. Blowing and drifting snow was worst in the northeastern part of the city.

In Denver, some snowplows got stuck in traffic, and emergency responders said they were using four-wheel-drive vehicles and chains on tires.

Denver’s Department of Public Works was fully mobilized, anticipating a storm that landed later than expected. The city kept a crew of 75 around the clock to operate its fleet of 62 snowplows and even sprayed de-icer more than 24 hours in advance.