Numerous Plains Highways, Mountain Passes Closed Due To Blowing Snow

(CBS4) -- As predicted, high winds scoured the state's peaks and plains Friday night, blasting the previous storm system's snowfall onto roadways and forcing the closure of many critical passages of interstate travel.

Kenosha Pass and the communities along State Highway 85 were among the first to feel the effects of the new storm system. The highway was closed just before 7 p.m. Friday evening. By midnight, emergency shelters were set up for stranded travelers at a community center and school facility in the town of Fairplay.

Two other areas known for high winds - the section of State Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder, along which the NREL wind turbine farm resides, and the stretch of State Highway 287 between Ted's Place northeast of Fort Collins and the city of Laramie, Wyoming - were both closed late Friday.

By Saturday morning, Loveland Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass were closed.

The Colorado Department of Transportation's road conditions map shows State Highways 34, 76, and 85 are also closed on the northeastern plains.

Many of these closures will last until the wind subsides later today. CBS4 Meteorologist Chris Spears predicts the wind may last into Saturday's evening hours.

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, crashes were contributing to lane closures on Interstate 76 in Morgan County and Interstate 70 on Vail Pass.

Fortunately, no severe injuries from crashes have been reported thus far.