Portions of I-70 closed in Colorado mountains as winter storm expected to bring feet of snow

The winter storm hitting Colorado is expected to bring feet of snow to some areas of the mountains and that has led to some road closures along the I-70 mountain corridor. 

Highway closures include:

• I-70 eastbound near Silver Plume: Road closed. Updated Today at 6:57 PM MDT by Colorado Department of Transportation Between Exit 226: Silver Plume and Exit 228: CR 381; Georgetown (Silver Plume) at Mile Point 226. Road closed expect delays due to a stalled vehicle.
  
• I-70 westbound in Georgetown: Between Exit 232: US 40; Empire Junction and Exit 228: CR 381 at Mile Point 228
• I-70 in both directions near Genesee: Road closed. Between Exit 254: US 40; Genesee and Exit 256: Lookout Mountain (Genesee) at Mile Point 255.5. Road closed expect delays due to a crash.
  
• I-70 in both directions near Morrison: Between Exit 259: Morrison Road and Exit 260: C-470 (1 mile west of Golden) at Mile Point 259. Road closed expect delays due to safety concerns.
• I-70 eastbound near East Frisco and Silverthorne: Between Exit 203: CO 9; East Frisco and Exit 205: US 6; CO 9; Silverthorne (Silverthorne) at Mile Point 205. Road closed expect delays due to safety concerns.
  
• I-70 eastbound near Silverthorne and Loveland Pass: Between Exit 205: US 6; CO 9; Silverthorne and Exit 216: US 6; Loveland Pass (5 miles east of Silverthorne) at Mile Point 210.7. Road closed expect delays due to a stalled vehicle.
  

Snow totals for the Mile High City could be as high as 16 inches of snow and Foothills areas could see as much as 20 inches. 

According to First Alert Meteorologists, Palmer Divide communities could see up to 2 feet, while some mountain areas -- above 7,000 feet -- could see 4 feet of snow.

Winter Storm Watches are now in place for parts of Northern Colorado, and areas east of Denver along Interstate 70 through Friday morning. There is more uncertainty with snow totals due to upsloping, but areas east of Denver could see 6-12 inches, with Northern Colorado likely to receive 4 to 12 inches.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS: School closings across Colorado

Drivers are urged to check the latest travel conditions on the Colorado Department of Transportation's COTrip website before heading out. CDOT officials are urging people to stay home and stay off the roads.  

Depending on the path of the storm, officials are planning for safety closures on Interstate 25 near Monument and Colorado Springs as well as US 285 at Fairplay and I-70 from Golden to the Eisenhower Tunnel. 

CDOT's philosophy is that the fewer cars on the roads, the fewer chances there are for crashes. Uncrowded roads also make it easier for snowplows to clear the way.