With a bitter north wind blowing in her face, Mary Jo Minogue stood atop the sledding hill at Robinson Park in Denver on Sunday and grimaced.
“It’s this or cabin fever,” she said, as her two children and two of their friends schussed down the short slope. “You can only eat so much chili.”
Snowflakes – cause for aggravation or amusement, depending on your perspective – fell again across Colorado on Sunday, piling anywhere from 4 inches to more than a foot on an already snowy landscape.
It was the fifth straight week that a snowstorm has hit Denver. Sunday was the 32nd consecutive day with snow on the ground. (If the snow lingers until Feb. 22, the city will set a record for consecutive days of snow cover at 64.)
And while some, like Ethan Melnick, Minogue’s 13-year-old son, found joy in another storm, others found only weariness.
“I’m growing a little bit tired of it, like everyone else” Minogue said. “I’m running out of things to do. If we’re not up skiing, I’m sick of it.”
The snow and the billowing winds that accompanied it wreaked the now-predictable havoc across the state.
Sections of Interstate 25 north and south of Denver, as well as parts of Interstate 70 east of town, were closed at various times throughout the day, as were several smaller highways. Travel quickly became treacherous anywhere outside the city. Chain laws were abundant. The Colorado State Patrol responded to numerous accidents, though none was serious, said Master Trooper Ron Watkins.
Meanwhile, snowplow drivers climbed aboard their trucks for yet another round of 12-hour shifts. More than 60 trucks patrolled Denver streets. The Colorado Department of Transportation dispatched 275 trucks across the state.
“It’s definitely wearing on them a bit,” said Mindy Crane, a CDOT spokeswoman. “Usually, our guys love coming out and taking care of things when there are snowstorms. But five weeks in a row – they’re tired.”
Denver International Airport kept four runways open throughout the storm and reported no major problems.
The storm came with Colorado sandwiched between low- pressure systems. The uncertainty of how those fronts would collude made it difficult for the National Weather Service to predict snowfall amounts, and Sunday’s totals were slightly more than forecasters anticipated.
While Denver saw about 4 inches, parts of the foothills, eastern Aurora, Parker and the plains saw up to a foot.
“I love it, but it’s not good for business,” said Dan Pyle, a contractor who does granite work in homes. With his three-quarter- ton pickup, Pyle can get to any job, but customers can’t get through the snow to choose the slab they want.
“Basically, I’ve had six jobs that have gotten put on hold,” he said.
Leslie Ellis, out romping with her poodle/golden retriever mix Sunday, said she has enjoyed being able to go snowshoeing without leaving her neighborhood.
“I like it, when it’s Sunday and you can goof off in it,” she said. “But I’m not looking forward to driving.”
The snow was expected to stop and the skies to clear overnight. Crews hoped to have most major streets clear for the morning commute, but officials warned drivers to prepare for a slow, slippery drive.
Schools from Limon to Bailey and Fort Lupton to Elizabeth either canceled classes or delayed start times.
The forecast calls for dry, warmer weather as the week progresses, but National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kalina said that doesn’t mean another storm doesn’t loom. For whatever reason, Kalina said, the Denver area has been in the sweet spot of the storm track.
And, what’s more, this is an El Niño year.
“El Niños,” Kalina said, “typically favor a wet spring, but it’s hard to say.”
“We’ll trudge through it,” Pyle, the contractor, said. “We’ll manage. Isn’t that what we always do?”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
