A major storm dumped heavy snow in Colorado on Thursday, forcing flight cancellations and shutting down highways connecting Denver and Colorado ski resorts.
“Our city hasn’t experienced a storm like this in years,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.
The storm, which began Wednesday night, brought the slushy, wet snow typical of March, one of Denver’s snowiest months, and was not expected to let up until Friday morning. The heaviest snowfall was expected to be in Colorado’s Front Range region, where most of the state’s population lives, with most of the snow falling in the hills and mountains west of Denver. Those high elevations are expected to reach 18 to 36 inches, and in some cases more than 4 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
Kansas, Missouri braces for baseball-sized “gorilla hail” as storm approaches
Major sections of Interstate 70 were closed in the Colorado Mountains, with reports of many vehicles stranded on the highway for hours. It was a boon for Colorado’s ski industry, but extreme weather forced the closure of at least one of his ski areas.
Colorado State Patrol posted to X: “Stay home!! Officers are stranded trying to rescue all stranded motorists.”
Drivers pass under an electronic billboard with a storm warning as a late winter storm dumped up to a foot of snow on Thursday, March 14, 2024 in Denver. Forecasters predict the storm will continue into early Friday morning, causing traffic disruption in Colorado’s Front Range region. (AP Photo/David Zarbowski)
Aspen Springs, in the hills west of Denver, had more than 3 feet of snow as of Thursday morning.
The storm started as rain in the Denver area and turned to snow. The National Weather Service said 10 to 20 inches of snow was expected to fall in the area, with up to 2 feet expected in the western suburbs. The snow has eased in the morning, but is expected to pick up again in the afternoon and evening.
The city of Denver planned to deploy 36 residential snow plows starting at 3 a.m. Thursday to clear the top few inches of snow from roads to clear the way to major thoroughfares.
Denver International Airport opened early Thursday, but about 800 flights were canceled and others were delayed, according to Flightaware.com.
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This snowstorm comes as other parts of the country are facing severe weather. Heavy hail fell across parts of Kansas and Missouri Wednesday night, and the storm could produce tornadoes in Kansas.
