Chalk Friday’s weather up as a classic Colorado spring snowstorm, with several feet of snow in the foothills, rain and snow in Denver, tornadoes on the plains — and an all-out wallop in the mountains.
Interstate 70 in the mountains was hard-hit, and Clear Creek County, which received nearly 4 feet of snow, declared a state of emergency Friday night.
Two overnight shelters and at least two warming centers were established by the American Red Cross. A shelter at Carlson Elementary School in Idaho Springs was opened at 11 p.m. after the first shelter at Clear Creek Middle School filled beyond its 300-person capacity.
Motorists were stranded waiting for I-70 to reopen. The highway had been closed between Golden and Vail since late afternoon.
The Colorado National Guard escorted a caravan of Red Cross supplies and volunteers into Idaho Springs to supply the shelters.
The warming centers provided water, snacks and restrooms but no overnight cots.
“The first option for State Patrol is to get as many people home as possible. If that’s not feasible, if it’s not safe, that’s what we’re there for,” said Jim Rettew, a Red Cross spokesman.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials anticipated that I-70 over Vail Pass would remain closed overnight.
Winter storm warnings across the state will last until noon today, with an additional 1 to 3 inches possible in the metro area and Front Range, according to the National Weather Service. Areas south of Denver down to Castle Rock will receive the most snow.
On Friday, the mountains and foothills experienced snow accumulations of 3 to 4 feet while the city received 4 to 6 inches. North Denver suburbs reported between 11 inches in Broomfield to just a few inches in Thornton.
About 9,600 residents of the Evergreen area were without power Friday night because of rolling outages. Power should be restored by noon today as extra crews work around the clock, said Joe Fuentes, an Xcel Energy spokesman. The winterlike weather also caused isolated outages for 7,000 households in Denver and Boulder.
The storm is expected to break down today, and there should be mostly sunny skies for much of the state Sunday.
Slushy and slick roads caused scattered accidents across the Denver area. The State Patrol reported one fatal accident in Weld County on Colorado 52 near Fort Lupton.
Crews closed U.S. 40 after two snowslides on Berthoud Pass. CDOT said a few cars and a snowplow were involved in one minor avalanche, but the depth of the snow was only 2 feet. Another slide was 5 to 6 feet deep, but no cars were involved.
“Our crews are getting it cleared up, and we will take a look at the avalanche path on the road and decide what to do from there,” CDOT spokeswoman Mindy Crane said at 7:40 p.m. Friday.
In the metro area, the snow was wet and heavy. “It’s real-high water content packed in like peanut butter,” said Kyle Fredin, a spokesman with the Weather Service.
Areas east of Interstate 25 and on the northern end of the metro area didn’t see rain turn into snow until early Friday evening. Higher-than-expected temperatures were the likely cause.
“You don’t have to have 32 degrees or below to get snow, but generally you do need it to be around 35 degrees,” said Carl Burroughs with the National Weather Service. “Temperatures (Friday)in the metro area were in the mid-30s and low 40s.”
On the Eastern Plains, the Weather Service office in Pueblo said there were two confirmed sightings of tornadoes in the Holly area Friday night but no reports of damage or injuries.
Today’s high temperatures for the metro area will reach the mid-40s after the storm moves out at noon, Burroughs said. Significant melting will not begin until Sunday, when temperatures are forecast to be in the 50s’s 50 degree temperatures kick in.
Students across the state enjoyed a snow dayas snow fell in wide portions of the state.
Schools in El Paso and Teller Counties had previously canceled Friday classes, and Douglas County and some Jefferson County schools closed early because of the weather.
