By COLLEEN SLEVIN and THOMAS PEIPERT (Associated Press)
DENVER (AP) — In Colorado, a big storm brought heavy snow on Thursday – leading to flight cancellations and closing a highway that connects Denver to Colorado ski resorts.
The storm started on Wednesday night and brought wet, slushy snow typical for March, one of Denver's snowiest months, and was expected to continue until Friday morning. The heaviest snow was expected in Colorado’s Front Range region, where most of the state’s population lives, especially in the foothills and mountains west of Denver.
The higher elevations were expected to get 18 to 36 inches (45 to 91 centimeters), and some areas could get more than 4 feet (1.2 meters), according to the National Weather Service. By Thursday morning, Denver had received about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow, but the weather service warned that the snow would intensify later in the afternoon and evening.
A section of Interstate 70 was closed in the Colorado mountains due to many reports of stranded vehicles. While this was good for Colorado’s ski industry, the extreme conditions closed several ski resorts.
Melanie Brooks was walking her dogs on Thursday morning in Denver.
“I’m a little sad that I didn’t make it up to the mountains because now it’s hard to drive there, and I’m missing a powder day,” she said.
The Colorado State Patrol advised people to stay off the roads.
“Troopers are getting stuck trying to get to all the stranded motorists,” the patrol posted on X, formerly Twitter.
In Aspen Springs, west of Denver, there was over 3 feet (about 1 meter) of snow as of Thursday morning.
Because the storm brings more snow to the eastern half of the state rather than the higher mountains to the west, it may not do much to help replenish the Colorado River, which supplies water to over 40 million people.
On Thursday, more than 75,000 customers were without power in Colorado — about 2 percent of electric utility customers statewide, mainly in metro Denver and along the Front Range, according to poweroutage.us.
The storm started as rain in the Denver area and then turned into snow. The area was expected to get 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of snow, with up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) in the western suburbs, according to the weather service.
Jarmila Schultz, 77, was clearing her sidewalks in shifts as the snow continued to fall.
“I have to get out early because I have to do it like four times because it’s going to snow all day,” she said, noting she has cleats on her boots to prevent her from falling. “It’s water, ice and it’s very hard for me to lift.”
But she still loves the snow.
“You know, in my time I skied, snow-shoed and did all this and I think Colorado’s incredible for those type of things.”
Starting at 3 a.m. on Thursday, Denver deployed 36 residential plows to clear the streets by removing the top layer of snow.
Tyler Barnes, a person from Miami who worked as a ride-share driver overnight, was attempting snow-shoeing for the first time Thursday morning, and discovered it was quite simple.
“It was really what I hoped it would be like,” he said. “I feel confident I could walk a long way in these.”
Denver International Airport was open Thursday, but approximately 800 flights were called off with 100 more delayed, according to Flightaware.com.
The snowstorm arrives as other areas of the country experience harsh weather. Large pieces of hail hit parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, with storms producing potential tornadoes in Kansas.
