Howling, unremitting winds, side roads with glacial ridges, stranded vehicles, shattered trees and windshields glazed with thick ice are among the remnants of the bomb cyclone of 2019.
Blowing snow and icy roads will make Thursday’s commute in the Denver metro area a cautionary tale as temperatures will remain just below freezing all day, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
On the Eastern Plains, blizzard conditions will continue Thursday morning, the NWS. Winds up to 60 mph are possible.
Blizzard conditions will continue axross the northeast plains this morning, with a gradual improvement elsewhere.
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
During Wednesday’s blizzard, snow fell at the rate of 2 inches per hour, Denver International Airport runways were closed and electrical power was cut to 200,000 customers.
RELATED: Colorado snow totals for March 13-14, 2019
Colorado State Patrol Cpl. Daniel Groves, 52, was killed while responding to a vehicle slide-off on Interstate 76 and hundreds of people were stranded on roadways across Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis authorized the activation of the National Guard.
On the morning after, motorists can still expect areas of blowing snow before noon in Denver, the NWS warns. The high temperature will be 31 degrees. Northwesterly winds will gust up to 37 mph.
Authorities will work to clear hundreds of cars that were stranded including 150 on Interstate 25 in Douglas County alone, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
When our veteran CDOT crew on Wolf Creek Pass say they can't remember this much snow at the summit, you know you have a lot of snow. Thank our plow drivers by slowing down as the law requires you to do for maintenance equipment. R34
— CSP Durango (@CSP_Durango)
The Adams County Office of Emergency Management issued a warning people trying to get to DIA on backroads that they’ll likely get stuck.
“Roads are still hazardous and they are not plowed all the way through,” a 5:24 a.m. OEM tweet says.
Attention commuters going to the airport…DO NOT TAKE THE BACKROADS TO TRY TO GET TO THE AIRPORT…you WILL get stuck. Roads are still hazardous and they are not plowed all the way through.
— Adams County OEM (@AdamsOEM)
Clouds will gradually clear in the early evening before temperatures drop to a low of 12 degrees Thursday night, the NWS says.
A gradual warmup beginning Friday will start to melt the snow. High temperatures will rise from 39 degrees on Friday to about 48 degrees on Monday, the NWS says.
