What is a snow squall warning? Fast-moving Colorado snowstorm brought several around Denver on Tuesday

A powerful cold front caused numerous snow squalls during the morning commute on Tuesday.

Some areas reported more than 2 inches of snow per hour. There were also multiple reports of accidents across the Denver metro area due to slick roads and extremely low visibility.

A snow squall occurs when a sudden burst of snow combines with very gusty winds to cause whiteout conditions. It can be very dangerous to travel during a snow squall.

 But because they happen suddenly with little warning, people are often caught driving in them. It's always best to pull over and wait for the squall to pass rather than continue traveling.

The first Snow Squall Warning of the day was for Fort Collins and northern Larimer County shortly after 5 a.m. as the cold front was just entering Colorado from Wyoming. Several subsequent warnings where issued farther south into the Denver metro area as the morning continued and the cold front moved farther south.

Any additional snowfall later in the day on Tuesday will be much lighter compared to the morning snow. It will also stay at least 30 degrees colder on Tuesday compared to Monday. And Wednesday morning will be the coldest the Front Range has been in weeks.