High winds along the I-70 corridor in the mountains west of Denver are making travel today difficult at best.
Winds and blowing snow have forced the closure of Loveland and Berthoud passes, and Vail Pass has been closed this morning because of avalanche control work, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
At about 10:40 a.m. today traffic started flowing again eastbound on I-70 over Vail Pass, said Stacey Stegman, a CDOT spokeswoman. Traffic is being released in stages to avoid back ups or a bottle neck.
Westbound traffic over Vail Pass resumed a short time later, Stegman said.
Chain laws remain in effect and spots on the highway are snowpacked and icy, CDOT warns.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the Front Range Foothills and the Eastern Plains today and and a winter storm warning is posted for the north and central mountains.
The Boulder Valley School District has closed its mountain schools today because of blowing snow, a school spokeswoman said.
Schools closed today include the Nederland Middle-Senior High School, Nederland Elementary, Gold Hill Elementary and Jamestown Elementary. School buses that service these areas will not run today and all sports activities, including home and away games, have been canceled.
Drivers in the mountains today should be prepared for difficult conditions, including the approaches to the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Some mountain areas could see up to eight inches of snow today with strong winds, especially above timberline on mountain passes.
Meanwhile strong “downslope winds” will pummel the Front Range and gusts up to 80 mph are expected, according to the weather service.
In Wyoming, the winds caused several tractor-trailer accidents when the rigs blew over. One tractor trailer operator from Canada recieved minor injuries when his rig was blown over about 4 miles south of Cheyenne on Interstate 25. Another tractor trailer blew over 22 miles north of Cheyenne, and a third blew over 20 miles south of Wheatland. No injuries were reported in either of those crashes, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said in a news release.
Wind gusts were reported during the day of 107 mph at Mount Audubon in Boulder; 101 mph at Berthoud Pass in Clear Creek County; 85 mph in Evergreen; 79 mph in Nederland; 81 mph at Rocky Flats in Jefferson County.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
