Snowstorm Closes Schools, Knocks Power Out For Thousands
DENVER (CBS4) - A fresh blast of snow dropped on Colorado's Front Range Wednesday, closing schools, knocking out power for some and making driving conditions and visibility poor in many areas.
The snow began falling Tuesday night and began tapering off in many areas late Wednesday morning.
Some of the state's largest school districts including Douglas County, Cherry Creek, Aurora and Weld RE-8 and RE-3J were closed for the day in the wintry conditions. Public schools in Denver and Boulder were among those that remained open despite the accumulation.
RELATED: Watch Forecast, View Snow Totals
The snow forced Colorado Department of Transportation officials to close northbound lanes of Interstate 25 at Walsenburg in southern Colorado and Wellington in northern Colorado for many hours. Highway 285 from Monte Vista to Saguache was also closed for part of the morning. Chain laws were also in effect on many mountain passes and Independence Pass is closed, possibly for the season. Interstate 70 was closed at one point overnight but it was open in the daylight hours.
RTD reported that buses were running 15 to 30 minutes late but light rail trains were running on time.
Denver Public Works said they had 68 plows out spreading de-icer and liquid magnesium chloride on the roads.
About 40 flights were canceled at Denver International Airport.
Xcel Energy said 5,400 customers lost power with the storm. A spokesperson for the utility told CBS4 they sent more than two dozen power crews and 18 tree trimming crews to Greeley, which was hit hardest as far as power outages. About 4,500 customers were out of power there.
Gov. John Hickenlooper said during an interview on the CBS4 Morning News that there's a silver lining with the storm.
"It's good for the water, it's good for the farmers," he said. "I saw a bunch of the snow is in southeast Colorado, which desperately needs moisture."
Hickenlooper said the state has the resources in place for keeping the state's major highways plowed and clear of major accidents.
"We'll make sure the Eisenhower Tunnel (and other mountain passes) are accessible and open, but it will be a little rugged this morning, obviously," Hickenlooper said.
This is the second major snowstorm for Colorado's Front Range this fall. The storm on Oct. 26 knocked out power for a much larger number of customers but this storm forced many more school closures.
"This storm is a whole different animal from last week's storm," CBS4 meteorologist Dave Aguilera said. "A layer of ice formed Tuesday night then was covered with several inches of snow. This made roads all across eastern Colorado an ice rink. Wind gusts will make driving even more difficult. With some gusts in Denver pushing 30 to 35 mph and up to 50 mph east and south of the metro area mainly along the Palmer Divide out to the Kansas line."
The Denver Broncos felt the effects of the storm, too. The team announced that they were moving their Wednesday practice indoors at their Dove Valley team headquarters in Englewood.
