A winter storm watch calling for frigid temperatures and up to a foot of snow along parts of the Front Range could make the Wednesday evening commute a mess and has led to .
Periods of heavy snow are forecast to begin Wednesday morning in areas of the Front Range including Arvada, Boulder, Evergreen, Fort Collins, Golden, Lakewood, Longmont and Loveland, according to the National Weather Service. Snow is expected to continue until Thursday afternoon with accumulation reaching 6 to 12 inches in some areas.
Winds out of the northeast will be between 10 and 20 mph, at times reducing visibility to less than a quarter of a mile and making travel hazardous, especially during the Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning commutes, the weather service said.
“It can make driving very hazardous, driving slow and being cautious is definitely advised,” said Natalie Gusack, a meteorologist with the weather service in Boulder.
About an inch of snow is expected in Denver Wednesday morning with up to 6 more inches falling before midnight and an additional 3 inches Thursday morning, Gusack said.
“It’s possible for Denver to see up to 10 inches if we see the maximum forecast amounts,” Gusack said. “We’ll see how the snow bands actually play out.”
The snow and freezing temperatures — — led the National Western to cancel the annual Stock Show Parade across downtown Denver Thursday because of risk of injury to animals and people. The parade will not be rescheduled. But the annual barbecue lunch in the atrium of the Wells Fargo Building at 17th and Broadway will go on as planned, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The Colorado Department of Transportation said Tuesday that its storm preparation will include spraying roads with an anti-icing brine of rock salt and water cut with a corn-derived sugar that reduces corrosion by 70 percent compared to straight salt. The corrosion inhibitor is biodegradable and not harmful to watersheds, CDOT said.
Motorists in the Denver area can expect to see trucks spraying this anti-icing solution on roads and highways about eight to 10 hours before snow begins, CDOT said in a media release.
“We will be putting sugar and salt on major roadways to keep winter drivers safe and Colorado’s economy flowing, while also protecting infrastructure investments and the environment,” said Mike O’Neill, a deputy director of maintenance with the highway department.
CDOT crews will stop spraying the brine and switch over to de-icers once snow starts to fall or temperatures drop below freezing.
Denver’s high temperature on Wednesday is expected to be about 25 degrees, with a high of 10 degrees in the city on Thursday. The overnight low in Denver Wednesday night should drop to about zero, with an overnight low of about minus 4 in the city overnight Thursday.
Snow along the Front Range should decrease from north to south starting Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, heavy snow will continue in the mountains north and south of the Interstate 70 corridor through Thursday. Mountain valleys could receive between 6 to 12 inches of snow, with accumulations of 8 to 16 inches for higher elevations. Gusty west winds will produce periods of blowing snow and poor visibility over mountain passes.
