Dangerously cold weather has an icy grip on northeastern Colorado where high temperatures on Tuesday will not climb above zero in some areas.
The high temperature in Denver is expected to be 3 degrees Tuesday, with wind chills down to minus 19 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
That could be a record-setting chill. The coldest temperature recorded as the day’s high for Dec. 30 is 8 degrees.
“You’ve got to watch the pets and outdoor animals,” said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “Frost bite will become an issue.”
On Monday at 3 p.m., the temperature in Denver hovered at 10 degrees.
Homeless shelters in Denver have been filled to capacity because of the recent bitterly cold and snowy weather, with about 1,000 men and women keeping warm overnight at two facilities — the Denver Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army Crossroads Shelter.
The Crossroads Shelter housed 540 men, 40 women, three cats and two dogs Sunday night, said Tahreem Pasha-Glenn, a Salvation Army spokeswoman. The overnight low was 11 degrees Sunday night.
The Salvation Army has been using its “search and rescue” team the past few nights, looking for homeless people who are trying to hunker down outdoors and taking them to safety.
The Denver Rescue Mission housed 460 homeless men Sunday night.
On Monday, snow moved into the Denver metro area at the start of the morning commute, about 6 a.m., and the high temperature of the day — 21 degrees — happened just after midnight.
The National Weather Service issued a winter-weather , because of snowfall, windy conditions and subfreezing temperatures.
Overnight temperatures in northeastern Colorado were expected to drop to minus 20 in some areas. Denver was expected to be minus 8.
Overnight snow was expected to be heaviest in the mountains and foothills along the Interstate 70 corridor; along the Front Range from Denver south to Monument; and from Denver southeast to Limon.
Some areas could receive up to 10 inches of snow.
In Denver, there’s an 80 percent chance of snow Tuesday morning, and wind-chill values will drop as low as minus 20, according to the weather service.
Monday’s snowy, frigid weather caused delays at
Wintry weather caused at least 128 departing and arriving flight cancellations, most of which involved United Airlines commuter trips, said Laura Coale, a DIA spokeswoman.
Airplanes were de-iced throughout Monday, and some travelers saw delays of about an hour.
Also, about a dozen weather-related traffic accidents happened on Interstate 25 in and around Castle Rock.
Two of the accidents included law enforcement vehicles that were parked on the highway’s shoulder. The cars were hit by passing vehicles that slid in icy conditions.
A in one of the collisions were treated and released from a local hospital.
No serious injuries were reported.
It’s likely Denver won’t see temperatures above freezing again until 2015, with Thursday or Friday being the soonest time the mercury is expected to climb above 32 degrees.
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/danielboniface
Frostbite tips
Health experts warn that it only takes a few minutes of skin exposure when the temperature is under 20 degrees for frostbite to set in. Denver Health Medical Center offers these tips:
• Dress for winter; wear light, loose, layered clothing with a water-repellent top coat.
• Protect the body’s extremes — head, hands and feet — with a winter hat, gloves and boots.
• Don’t drink or smoke outside, or before heading outside. Alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can leave the skin prone to thermal injury.
• If toes, fingers, ears or any exposed areas feel numb, seek shelter immediately.
• Anyone with possible frostbite or hypothermia should seek medical assistance and treatment immediately.
Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post
