Storm Drops Nearly 1.5 Feet Of Snow On Parts Of Colorado
DENVER (AP) - A Presidents Day storm dropped nearly a foot and a half of snow on parts of the Colorado mountains Monday and left some roads in Denver and Colorado Springs glazed with ice for the morning commute.
The town of Ward, about 15 miles west of Boulder, reported 16.5 inches by midafternoon.
Eldora Mountain Resort near Boulder reported 15 inches of new snow. Breckenridge and Winter Park ski areas reported 7 inches.
The National Weather Service said nearly 15 inches fell near Pinecliffe in Jefferson County, about 25 miles northwest of Denver.
Forecasters said the snow would decrease in the evening, but the mountains remained under a winter storm warning until 8 p.m. A winter weather advisory was in effect for the Mile High City, Colorado Springs and Pueblo until the same time.
Much of the rest of central and western Colorado was under an advisory.
Forecasters said 4 to 8 inches of snow was forecast for the northern and central Mountains.
Officials warned of heavy snow and slow traffic along Interstate 70 through the mountains.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the snowfall coupled with wind would increase the danger of snow slides, but there were no immediate reports of problems.
LINK: Colorado Avalanche Information Center
The Denver airport reported that about 60 flights were canceled Monday because of the storm, out of about 1,500 scheduled to arrive or depart.
The statewide snowpack, which accounts for much of Colorado's water, stood at 81 percent of the 30-year average before the storm hit.
Snow depth in the South Platte, Arkansas and Colorado river basins ranged from 91 to 102 percent of average, while the southwest corner of the state remained locked in a drought, with snowpack at 60 percent to 75 percent of average.
The northwest corner of the state had about 85 percent of average snowpack.
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