Slick roads and snowy weather contributed Saturday morning to traffic accidents mostly in the Denver metro area as forecasters predicted up to 4 inches of snow throughout the day.
A light snowfall coated icy roads, making them treacherous, said Gilbert Mares, spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol.
“(The snow) is deceiving,” Mares said. “Winter is here again. People can anticipate anything.”
Several accidents were reported in the foothills in Jefferson County, according to a CSP dispatcher.
East of Denver on Interstate-70, two semi tractor-trailers collided head on near Watkins in a snow storm, Mares said. Three people were taken to a hospital in Aurora. It is unclear what impact the weather had on the accident, Mares said.
People attending the Parade of Lights tonight at 6 p.m. can expect temperatures in the mid to upper 20s and a few snow flakes, said Jim Kalina, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder.
The foothills west of Denver could get up to five inches of snow by the end of the day, Kalina said.
In the mountains, Breckenridge received 11 inches of new snow by the end of Friday but is clear and sunny Saturday.
The forecast Sunday was for clear skies with a high of about 30 degrees, Kalina said.
“It should be pretty sunny,” he said.
By the 6:15 p.m. kickoff at Invesco Field at Mile High between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, temperatures could dip to the teens, he said.
Beginning Monday and through the work week high temperatures should rise to the 40s, Kalina said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
