'Bomb cyclone' storm leaves more than 1,000 motorists stranded in Colorado

A "bomb cyclone" storm that's bringing hurricane-force winds to Colorado has left close to 1,100 motorists stranded in the state.

A bomb cyclone storm happens when there is a rapid drop in pressure. The storm has caused blizzard conditions across Colorado, dropping more than nine inches of snow near Boulder, and it is intensifying as it moves into the Great Plains and Midwest. "This isn't your average Colorado storm," El Paso County spokesman Ryan Parsell told CNN.

Officials warned people to stay off the roads, as the ice made conditions dangerous. There was a 100-car pile-up near Wellington, and a state police officer helping a stranded motorist was killed north of Denver on Wednesday morning when he was hit by a car. In the hardest-hit areas, police officers out responding to car accidents were told to leave their vehicles and find shelter. "We are at the point where we are rescuing rescuers out there," Elbert County Manager Sam Albrecht told CNN.

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