Snowstorm Comes In With A Bang & Drops Visibility
DENVER (CBS4) - The snow wasn't the only hazard for drivers braving the storm on Saturday evening. Visibility was a big problem that hit suddenly.
It's estimated that visibility was down to less than 200 yards, and in combination with the icy roads and snowy winds, made for a scary drive at times.
At about 30 mph, the snowstorm that started slowly Saturday picked up momentum quickly, blanketing roads such as I-25 in Douglas County.
"The snow just kind of came out of nowhere," said one young driver. When asked if they were worried when visibility became really poor she exclaimed, "Yeah we were worried, we slid a lot, almost ran into a mile marker."
Not everybody was able to stay on the road. A Dodge Durango slid down an embankment south of Castle Pines, flipping onto its side on the way down. The driver escaped injury.
This snowstorm also came with a lot of moisture. Ice covered windshields, giving shoppers and employees one more chore to handle.
When reporter Howard Nathan asked one shopper, "Did you think: well maybe I should not have come out tonight?" she responded with a laugh, "Yeah my mom got mad at me for coming out."
Others were sent out with a to-do list: "Someone sent you out to go supermarket shopping?" Howard asked a man walking into a grocery store.
"Oh absolutely," he replied. When asked who, the man said, "Who else? My wife."
Despite the tricky winter weather, some actually enjoyed driving around. "I love the snow, it's really pretty," said one woman.
At one point, road conditions were so poor that drivers in Castle Rock were having difficulty getting onto the ramp for I-25 South, so a state trooper got out and helped push.
