Colorado Weather History: One Year Ago Today Massive Avalanche Closed I-70
DENVER (CBS4) - March 3 marks the first anniversary of a massive avalanche caught on camera as it barreled across Interstate 70 near Copper Mountain. The slide was part of a historic weather event that produced more than 12 feet of snow in two weeks across some mountain areas.
The heavy snow caused several hundred avalanches during the first 10 days of March, some large enough to bury vehicles trapping people inside. Thousands of trees were destroyed, including several hundred in a slide near Aspen on March 9 that was estimated to be a mile wide. The snow in that particular slide dropped over 3,000 vertical feet.
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It was an exhausting and historic time for Colorado transportation crews as they faced unprecedented conditions that forced them to work around the clock to keep roads open. The epic snow was caused by a series of moisture-laden storm systems that originated over the Pacific Ocean.