A late-spring storm that dropped snow across the metro area Thursday is expected to taper off Friday, dropping less than an inch.
Denver International Airport only saw a trace of snow as of Thursday night, faring better than the high country, which saw up to 31 inches in Estes Park and 38.2 inches in parts of Boulder County, National Weather Service meteorologist Natalie Sullivan said. Morning snowfall reports have yet to come in.
Closer to Denver, Broomfield saw 4.8 inches of snow while Castle Rock received 6 inches, she said. Thursday’s snow brings the seasonal snowfall total at DIA to 21.8 inches.
The across the Front Range, closing schools and roads, trapping buses, collapsing barns and forced the cancellation of high school graduations.
Conditions eased up Friday, but some problems remain. All roads on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park were closed to vehicles until further notice, including U.S. 34 from the Fall River Entrance, U.S. 36 from the Beaver Meadows Entrance and Wild Basin Road. West side roads remain open.
U.S. 6 is closed due to hazardous conditions at the Loveland Pass. as of Friday morning, primarily in the Denver and Boulder areas.
The weather service issued a flood advisory for the North Platte River, which has risen after 3-5 inches of rain yesterday. More rain is expected Friday. Do not drive into an area where water covers the roadway as it may be too deep for a car or the road beneath may not be intact. Vehicles caught in rising waters should be abandoned quickly.
Colorado State University, which closed yesterday, has reopened but the school advised students to not park under trees and urged people to use public transportation instead of driving.
is open today ❄️
Please use caution while traveling to & around campus, particularly around trees.
— Colorado State University (@ColoradoStateU)
DIA was not experiencing any delays Friday morning.
Although the metro area is expected to see less of an inch of snow Friday, the Fort Collins area up to the Wyoming border may have less than 2 inches, while the mountains and foothills can expect 2-6 inches, Sullivan said.
The weather service has canceled a winter storm warning for the majority of the plains, although the warning remains for Larimer County, the foothills and mountains, Sullivan said.
Friday’s highs in the metro area should hang around the lower 40s, dropping down to the low 30s at night, she said. Temperatures should rise Saturday, with highs expected in the upper 50s and night lows in the upper 30s.
NWS has issued a freeze warning in Denver for Saturday morning, warning of colder temperatures in the upper 20s over the Palmer Divide. as tender vegetation and above ground sprinkler systems may be damaged.
The metro area should be free of storms over the weekend, although skies are expected to be mostly cloudy. There’s a chance of rain and a slight chance of thunderstorm come Monday. Higher-terrain areas can expect scattered showers and thunderstorms Saturday.
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