Heavy, wet, snow blanketed much of the state Sunday, with totals as high as 17 inches in some metro area neighborhoods, and nearly 51 inches south of Pinecliffe in Boulder County.
Roads remain slushy and snow-packed in many areas, but the bulk of the snow, , had fallen by noon on Sunday, said Jim Kalina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder. Light snow and snow showers will continue through Tuesday morning, Kalina said.
Over the central mountains, snow will increase through the afternoon, Kalina said,while over the plains it will taper off.
“For the most part, it is over,” Kyle Frieden, NWS meteorologist, said on Sunday afternoon.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns of possible danger from avalanches as new snow continues to pile up. The weather service said 4 feet of snow has fallen between Denver and the Continental Divide.
In spite of the heavy precipitation, there isn’t much danger of flooding as the snow melts, said Frieden.
“Temperatures are going to likely stay cool enough that it will be a slow release. The snow should melt at a manageable rate,” he said.
The melt will raise some rivers and streams, but flooding won’t be a problem in the near future. Flooding is more likely in late May and early June, Frieden said.
The weekend snowstorm is to blame for one death.
A patient was killed when an ambulance crashed around 2 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 76 near Brush, according to Colorado State Patrol officials.
Lauren Putney, a 23-year-old from Julesbeg, was transporting Brenda Ebke, a 57-year-old patient, between hospitals in a Sedgewick County EMS Ambulance when she lost control in the snow. Ebke died on the scene.
Putney and Vickie Sandlin, a 53-year-old Julesberg resident who was riding along, were transported to a hospital with injuries.
State Patrol officials said the crash was the only fatality related to dangerous road conditions due to the weekend’s snowstorm.
A Colorado State Patrol trooper escaped serious injury early Sunday. A car that skidded on Interstate 25 near Castle Rock struck the trooper’s cruiser while the officer was out of the car assisting with a three-car crash.
Travel at Denver International Airport returned to normal Sunday despite the airport receiving almost a foot of snow. were canceled Saturday.
“We didn’t have many delays because our flight schedule was thinned out,” said Heath Montgomery, DIA spokesman.
Because big crowds were expected Sunday, Montgomery urged travelers to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their scheduled departure.
The slow-moving snow storm forced the postponement of the annual park.
The weekend storm dumped wet, heavy snow that coated power lines and tree branches. Kalina said that reports show there’s about an inch of precipitation in every 10 inches of snow.
“The main worry with it being this wet is for it to stick to trees and cause and the concern is for power outages,” Kalina said.
At 10:57 a.m. Sunday, Xcel Energy reported 147 power outages, most in the metro area, that left 4,053 customers without power.
People trying to are encouraged to break up the work and not try to shovel too much wet, heavy snow at once.
The Colorado Comprehensive Spine Institute recommends:
• Use a shovel with a small blade to help ensure you don’t pick up too heavy of a load.
• Warm up your muscles before heading out to shovel.
• To improve leverage, keep your hands at least 12 inches apart on the handle.
• If you must lift rather than push the snow, don’t use your back. Squat with your back straight and lift with your legs.
• Walk small amounts of snow over to where you want to dump it.
• Move your feet rather than twist.
The weather is expected to improve through the week.
The sun is expected to be finished by Wednesday, when the temperature is expected to be near 56 degrees.
On Thursday, the mercury will climb to 67 degrees and temperatures should be back in the 70s by Friday.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or @dpmcghee
Staff writer Katy Canada contributed to this report.
