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CSI Snow Bands Hit Hard & Fast In Northern Colorado

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Bands of moderate to heavy snow fell in parts of northern and northeast Colorado early Thursday with up to a half foot reported in some locations.

The snow created tough travel on Interstate 25 which was closed in the southbound direction at Windsor for several hours during the morning commute due to a semi crash.

crash
(credit: CBS)

Typically when we talk about snow in Colorado there's a storm system with a center of low pressure involved, but that wasn't the case this time.

Thursday's snow was enhanced by a strong jet stream which helped produce bands of snow that are referred to as CSI, or Conditional Symmetric Instability.

CSI snow bands are very hard to predict and are typically fairly narrow. They're associated with an area of instability and lift, such as along a cold front.

The bands can last anywhere from a just a few hours to several hours and can produce snowfall rates that exceed one inch per hour.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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