Snowstorm Delivers White Christmas For Large Swaths Of Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) - The snowy Christmas that Coloradans began prepping for days ago arrived Thursday afternoon, as more than a foot of snow was expected in some mountain locations.
The snow is part of a large system that moved into the central Rocky Mountains early Thursday. Mountain locations could see nearly a foot by Friday morning, and snow is expected to increase in coverage and intensity along the Front Range and in eastern Colorado into Friday.
Through Friday afternoon, Denver could see four to eight inches, while about a foot could fall in parts of Boulder and Larimer counties. Up to seven inches are forecast for parts of Colorado's Eastern Plains.
A sunny mild morning in Denver turned frosty mid-afternoon, and light snow started falling around 2 p.m. in some metro locations.
Statewide, more than 100 snow plows were readied, and the Colorado Department of Transportation told employees they may need to cut their holidays short to assist with snow removal.
"You'll see our plows out there working to make sure you can get back and forth to Grandma's house safely," CDOT spokeswoman Amy Ford said. "We recognize that some people will have to go to work in Friday. Obviously we want to make sure the roads are clear for them, but a little less traffic will help out."
Seventy trucks and 70 drivers will clear Denver streets starting Thursday. The city spent a week converting paving trucks into snow plows.
"It's Colorado. You don't know what to expect, but we are ready to go once the snow starts accumulating," Heather Burke with Denver Public Works said.
The snow is forecast to stop falling sometime Friday afternoon.
