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Colorado weather: Live updates as April snowstorm sweeps into Denver

Refresh for new updates on Colorado weather, traffic and other impacts from the bomb cyclone

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
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Driver Melissa Ravenwood, right, gives Dallas Jones, with CDOT Assist Patrol, a hug after he helped her fix a flat tire along highway I-25 as snow begins to fall in the metro area on April 10, 2019, in Denver. Ravenwood said she hit something with her tire which flattened it and said Jones arrived within minutes to help her fix her flat.
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By | newsroom@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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Get live Colorado weather updates as a snowstorm sweeps into the Denver metro area on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

Updates:

10:02 p.m.: Interstate 70 closed eastbound at Airpark Road in Aurora, and westbound in Limon to Denver, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

8:56 p.m.: Denver Public Schools will be on a delayed start Thursday for select schools (those starting at 8:30 a.m. or later) because of the springs storm, the school district said. These schools will start one hour later, the end of the school day will not change.

8:34 p.m.: Winter weather advisory expires in Summit and Grand counties below 9,000-feet in elevation.

8:12 p.m.: Traffic is moving on Interstate 70 in the Vail area after an earlier weather-related closure. Vail Pass, however, remains icy and snow packed, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

7:42 p.m.: The Pikes Peak Emergency Operations Center concluded its operations for Wednesday’s spring storm.

7:38 p.m.: Broomfield went on accident alert because of adverse weather and road conditions.

7:14 p.m.: Xcel Energy reports that about 1,000 customers, in 37 outages statewide, are without power. More than half are in the Fort Collins and Windsor areas. Crews are working on restoring power, including 600 employees and contractors, with 350 of those workers out in the field.

7:05 p.m.: Fog settles into Interstate 25 corridor between Denver and Colorado Springs along with blowing snow, CDOT says.

6:51 p.m.: Multiple vehicles spin out on Interstate 70 in the mountains prompting safety closure at East Vail interchange, CDOT says.

6:16 p.m.: Accident Alert issued in Douglas County and western Arapahoe County, Colorado State Patrol says.

6:12 p.m.: Traffic on I-25 south of Denver has come to a standstill because of multiple crashes, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

6:06 p.m.: Some warming and evacuation centers in Colorado cities have closed because of a lack of severe weather activity, according to Red Cross.

5:58 p.m.: The Douglas County sheriff just declared “bomb cyclone 2.0” a dud and announced it was shutting down its emergency operations center.

 

5:21 p.m.: A Colorado State Patrol trooper’s car was struck by another car on U.S. 160 and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Another driver also was taken to a hospital.

4:17 p.m.: The Arapahoe County Road and Bridge Division has closed Cherry Creek Dam Road because of weather conditions, According to a message from Cherry Creek School District.

4:12 p.m.: Mark Montoya lugged his groceries down Zuni Street in Sunnyside on Wednesday afternoon, bracing himself against the whipping wind.

“Is this April or what?” Montoya said, looking around at the snow-covered lawns.

He was hustling to make it back home to walk his dog before the storm intensifies.

“I’ve already put away my shovel for the year,” Montoya said. “I’m just going to let the snow melt.”

Down the block, postal worker Barb Matthews dropped mail off at a coffee shop, walking briskly back to her to van for the next round of deliveries.

“I’m kind of tired of this weather,” she said. “It slows us down.”

But the mail must go on. Matthews pointed to a duffel bag full of gear in the trunk of her USPS truck — gloves, hats, snow cleats and extra layers for when the weather gets really rough.

“I know better than to believe the snow’s done by April,” she said. “But it’d be nice if it were summer.”

— Sam Tabachnik

3:56 p.m.: The Colorado State Patrol says Interstate 76 is closed from Lochbuie to the Nebraska state line due to extreme weather conditions. “Reopening is up to Mother Nature,” the state patrol tweeted.

3:08 p.m.: The National Weather Service in Boulder said the Colorado Climate Center is the source for bomb cyclone determination. And here’s what the climate center is saying about how to classify the storm:

2:56 p.m.: Snow is picking up in downtown Denver.

https://twitter.com/EliseSchmelzer/status/1116082629730684931

2:49 p.m.: The Loveland Police Department placed the city on an accident alert.

2:43 p.m.: During the March bomb cyclone, hundreds of motorists were stranded on interstates during the storm. This time, CDOT has staged crews at key points on the interstates, such as Monument Hill on I-25, and will be more proactive about closing the interstates and major highways, Lester said.

One lesson learned in March was to close treacherous stretches faster, and Lester said he is prepared to do so. He recognized travelers and truck drivers will be upset but “it is the right thing to do.”

2:30 p.m.: CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said it is likely that I-25, I-70 and I-76 could be closed during the storm. During a conference call, she encouraged people to pay attention to road closures and to make good travel decisions.

No closures have been put in place but are expected in the evening once snow and wind picks up.

Kyle Lester, maintenance director, said 43 plows have been deployed on the I-70 mountain corridor, and 100 plows have been deployed in the metro area. Roads have not been pre-treated because rain came first and that would have washed the material off the road.

CDOT is expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow with winds gusting between 40 to 65 miles per hour in the metro area. Those conditions are likely to lead to road closures throughout the metro area.

Southeast Colorado is in a red flag warning now but could transition to a winter storm warning as the storm progresses, Lester said.

2:21 p.m.: Gov. Jared Polis activated the Colorado National Guard to support rescues of stranded motorists and others who need help during the storm. He also declared the storm system a bomb cyclone, the second to hit Colorado in a month.

The activation will involve about 50 soldiers from units along the Front Range and 24 tactical vehicles, according to a news release from the Colorado Army National Guard.

2:04 p.m.: In the Legislature, a house bill looking to make it illegal to pass snowplows during a storm (yeah, can you believe it’s not already illegal) had a bunch of people slated to testify. But they were CDOT drivers who are out on the road preparing for the blizzard.The measure, HB-1265, passed unanimously from the House Transportation and Local Govt Committee and moves to the House Appropriations Committee.

— David Migoya

2 p.m.: Snow started falling across the Front Range as state officials urged people to get home and stay there.

1:46 p.m.: The passenger vehicle traction law is in place on I-70 between Silverthorne and Georgetown, CDOT said. All cars, vans and trucks must have snow tires, chains or be four-wheel or all-wheel drive. Traction law enforcement also is in place on I-70 between Idaho Springs and C-470 in Denver.

11:52 a.m.: Gov. Jared Polis tweeted his warning to Colorado residents, advising people to avoid travel.

11:42 a.m.: The National Weather Service said rain will change to snow in the Denver area between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and will spread further east between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

 

10:29 a.m.: The National Weather Service in Pueblo released safety tips in advance of the storm’s arrival along the Palmer Divide.

10 a.m.: Two of Colorado’s professional sports teams cancelled their Wednesday night games. The Rockies will not play the Atlanta Braves, and the Rapids will not play the Seattle Sounders. Thus far, the Nuggets are still playing their final home game at the Pepsi Center against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

9:52 a.m.: Xcel Energy announced that it has crews mobilizing to handle power outages across the Front Range. Here’s what customers need to do to report outages: /2019/04/10/power-outages-xcel-energy-blizzard/

9:30 a.m.: Cancellations in anticipation of an afternoon blizzard began rolling in. The Colorado State Patrol encouraged people to leave work to avoid driving in hazardous conditions and to allow the Colorado Department of Transportation to get busy clearing roads.

More than 600 flights at Denver International Airport were cancelled. Many airlines were offering travel vouchers for those affected.

8:47 a.m.: The National Weather Service in Boulder released its latest storm model, saying conditions would worsen throughout the day.

 

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