DENVER—A cold front moving into Colorado is bringing strong winds to the state and is expected to also usher in rain and snow.
The National Weather Service has issued freeze warnings through early Thursday for western Colorado. Calmer winds led to the cancellation Wednesday night of many high-wind warnings. Earlier in the day, gusts of 30 mph and up fueled a wildfire north of Fort Collins and caused dust storms on the eastern plains.
An 11-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between Stratton and Bethune in eastern Colorado was closed for nearly three hours because of poor visibility due to blowing dust, causing several traffic accidents. It reopened at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. State Trooper David Hall said there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
The front is also expected to send temperatures plunging. Temperatures across the state ranged from the 60s to the high 80s Wednesday, but the cold front could dump from 4 to 8 inches of snow in Colorado’s northern and central mountains overnight and Thursday.
A winter weather advisory has been issued for most parts of the northern and central mountains.
