A spring storm that began blanketing the Front Range with wet, heavy snow on Tuesday afternoon is expected to continue through Wednesday morning, likely damaging trees and causing scattered power outages across the Denver metro, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecast models show a good chance of 5 to 8 inches over most of the Interstate 25 corridor and up to a foot closer to the foothills and the Palmer Divide, forecasters said Tuesday.
While snowy roads will cause headaches for commuters on Wednesday morning, tree damage will likely have a bigger impact, according to the agency.
Just 3 to 5 inches of wet snow is enough to break small tree limbs, while 8 inches can cause significant damage to large trees and up to a foot “could result in widespread/nearly catastrophic tree damage,” forecasters said.
plans to place crews on standby to respond to and repair any outages caused by the spring snowstorm, according to utility officials.
“If you see a downed or sagging power line, stay away,” Xcel officials said. “Never touch or move a downed power line; instead, leave the area and report it immediately by calling 1-800-895-1999.”
The storm is on track to be one of Denver’s largest May snowstorms on record, , but it won’t be enough to reverse the drought.
As of Tuesday evening, from the weather service included:
- 1 inch in Brush and Fort Morgan, with up to 3 inches possible
- 6 inches in Aurora, Arvada, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver, Littleton and Parker, with up to 8 inches possible
- 7 inches in Centennial, Broomfield, Highlands Ranch and Lakewood, with up to 8 inches possible
- 7 inches in Winter Park, with up to 14 inches possible
- 8 inches in Fort Collins, Monument Hill and Roxborough Park, with up to 10 inches possible
- 9 inches in Black Hawk and Central City, with up to 12 inches possible
- 9 inches on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass, with up to 17 inches possible
- 10 inches in Boulder and Georgetown with up to 12 inches possible
- 10 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 19 inches possible
- 10 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass, which runs between Fort Collins and Walden, with up to 13 inches possible
- 11 inches in Conifer, with up to 13 inches possible
- 12 inches in Estes Park, with up to 15 inches possible
- 13 inches in Eldora, with up to 16 inches possible
- 17 inches at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 21 inches possible
Outside of Colorado’s mountains, where snow started falling earlier Tuesday, the heaviest snow will hit overnight and into Wednesday morning before tapering off by the afternoon, .
Most of Colorado was under severe weather alerts Tuesday evening, according to the weather service.
for heavy snow and hazardous travel were issued Monday for higher-elevation areas in Boulder, Grand, Jackson and Larimer counties. Those warnings will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday.
will be in effect for the metro area from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to the weather service. That includes parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson and Larimer counties.
, which rank below winter storm warnings in , will cover parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Grand, Jackson, Lincoln, Morgan, Park, Summit, Washington and Weld counties from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. Wednesday.
will also cover large swaths of Colorado — including the Western Slope, Eastern Plains, urban corridor and southern state — from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The Yampa River Basin is under an additional freeze watch for Tuesday night.
“Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” forecasters wrote in the watch.
