The stubborn jet stream that has lingered over the Denver metro area for the past week — as well as the snow and travel disasters that it spawned — may be coming to an end, according to the National Weather Service.
“That’s been the major player; it’s just sat there,” said meteorologist Mike Baker. “It should be fizzling out soon, and when that happens, the snow will decrease and we’ll start pulling in some drier air.”
Baker cautions that it will still be cold — Friday’s high temperature is expected to be 23 degrees — but there may actually be some sunshine to accompany it.
That wasn’t the case Thursday, when the nasty conditions continued. The afternoon commute was the metro area’s third bad one in a row.
Interstate 70, which had more than its fair share of problems since Wednesday, continued to have issues. The Colorado Department of Transportation said the travel time eastbound from Silverthorne to C-470 on Thursday afternoon was about 70 minutes.
Throughout the day, roads were icy and snowpacked, and Denver Public Works plow crews worked to clear them, spreading de-icing agents.
Public-works trucks had been out overnight, but the crews’ efforts still couldn’t prevent an awkward situation for Denver Public Schools: Superintendent Tom Boasberg issued a public apology for a tardy announcement of school closures.
DPS announced the school closures at roughly 6 a.m. on its Twitter account.
Boasberg said Thursday morning’s road conditions were “significantly worse than predicted, with a significantly higher degree of ice and snowpack.”
He said officials did not believe it was safe enough for students to get to classes.
School officials in Boulder also were defending themselves — for a different reason. The Daily Camera reported that angry parents took to social media to complain about Boulder Valley School District’s decision to maintain a regular schedule.
Boulder Valley last called a snow day in February 2012, when a storm blanketed Boulder in about 2 feet of snow.
“We start with the default that we have school, unless there’s a compelling reason to cancel,” said Boulder Valley Superintendent Bruce Messinger.
By Thursday night, the intensity of the storm largely had tapered off. However, the weather service said, there was still a chance that another storm could hit the metro area at some point next week, perhaps Tuesday night or Wednesday.
Also, the southwest part of the state, which has missed the bulk of the last two storms, is expected to get heavy snow in upcoming days.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292, acotton@denverpost.com or anthonycottondp
