Blizzard in Colorado

[Opal storm]

Saw some scenes from Denver on TWC and it's pretty bad.Not a good idea to leave your home in these conditions.

NWS forecast for Denver,Co

Tonight: Periods of snow with areas of blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 17. Blustery, with a north wind between 15 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.

Thursday: Snow likely with areas of blowing snow, mainly before noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly sunny, with a high near 31. North northwest wind between 9 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

...STRONG WINTER STORMS TO CONTINUE OVER NORTHEAST AND NORTH
CENTRAL COLORADO TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...

.A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE BRINGING WIDESPREAD MODERATE
TO HEAVY SNOW AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO NORTHEAST AND NORTH
CENTRAL COLORADO THIS TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THE STORM
PRODUCING THIS WEATHER IS CENTERED OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST
CORNER OF COLORADO. IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE LITTLE THROUGH
THURSDAY MORNING.

AT 4 PM MST...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OVER THE PLAINS RANGE FROM ABOUT 6
TO 11 INCHES SO FAR WITH THE STORM. THE URBAN CORRIDOR HAS SEEN
ABOUT 9 TO 14 INCHES SO FAR. THE FOOTHILL AND PALMER
RIDGE...INCLUDING THE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN GREAT DENVER
AREA HAVE HAD 14 TO 21 INCHES THUS FAR. THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS EAST
OF THE DIVIDE HAVE HAD 12 TO 22 INCHES SO FAR. WIND GUSTS OF 30
TO 40 MPH ARE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE PLAINS WITH SNOW DRIFTS UP TO
6 FEET.

TRAVEL HAS BECOME IMPOSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF
NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED
THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

COZ038>041-210700-
/O.CON.KBOU.BZ.W.0002.000000T0000Z-061221T1900Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD
COUNTY-
NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND
ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-
ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-
INCLUDING...FORT COLLINS...HEREFORD...LOVELAND...NUNN...ARVADA...
BOULDER...GOLDEN...LAKEWOOD...LONGMONT...AURORA...BRIGHTON...
CITY OF DENVER...DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...HIGHLANDS RANCH...
LITTLETON...PARKER...CASTLE ROCK...ELBERT...FONDIS...KIOWA...
LARKSPUR
359 PM MST WED DEC 20 2006

...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM MST THURSDAY...

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM MST THURSDAY.

SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY MORNING. TOTAL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 24 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN MOST LOCATIONS BY
THURSDAY MORNING. AS MUCH AS 30 INCHES OF SNOW WILL FALL IN THE
SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN METRO DENVER SUBURBS AND THE PALMER
DIVIDE AREA.

NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WILL PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.

TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

$$

[Aquawind]

Looks like parts of South Dakota might get almost a foot as well.. Hate that change over from Freezing rain..

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
426 PM CST WED DEC 20 2006

.AFTER A BRIEF BREAK IN WINTRY CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON...
CONDITIONS WILL DEGRADE ONCE AGAIN TONIGHT AND THURSDAY ACROSS
THE REGION AS A LARGE STORM SYSTEM TAKES A LEISURELY TREK FROM
EASTERN COLORADO THIS EVENING...THROUGH KANSAS AND INTO IOWA BY
EARLY FRIDAY. ONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FROM EARLIER EXPECTATIONS
IS A LOWER OVERALL THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT FREEZING RAIN...WITH
A TRANSITION FROM RAIN TO SNOW FOR MOST AREAS.

WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN EARLY THIS EVENING WILL START TO CHANGE OVER
TO SNOW ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. THIS TRANSITION ZONE WILL
SHIFT EASTWARD OVERNIGHT...WITH ANOTHER ENHANCE BAND OF PRECIPITATION
SWINGING UP INTO THE MISSOURI RIVER CORRIDOR AFTER MIDNIGHT...LIFTING
NORTHWARD THROUGH NORTHWEST IOWA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND
SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS BAND WILL PRODUCE
SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90
THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
BY THURSDAY EVENING FROM 4 TO 7 INCHES WILL OCCUR ALONG AND SOUTH
OF INTERSTATE 90 THROUGH MINNESOTA TO AROUND SIOUX FALLS...WITH
HIGHER AMOUNTS FROM 6 TO 11 INCHES BACK TOWARD SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH
DAKOTA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL DROP OFF SHARPLY TO THE NORTH
WITH DRY AIR IMPEDING GREATER AMOUNTS...AND ALSO TO THE SOUTH OF
THE HEAVIER BAND DUE TO THE SLOWER TRANSITION TO SNOW ACROSS
AREAS FROM SIOUX CITY TOWARD STORM LAKE.

AS THE BAND OF HEAVIER SNOW LIFTS NORTHWARD...AREAS BEHIND THE
BAND WILL LIKELY TRANSITION OVER TO A PERIOD OF DRIZZLE OR
FREEZING DRIZZLE HEADING INTO THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH PERIODS OF
MAINLY LIGHT SNOW LINGERING INTO FRIDAY.

SDZ053>062-210630-
/O.EXT.KFSD.WW.Y.0008.061221T0900Z-061222T0000Z/
SANBORN-MINER-LAKE-MOODY-BRULE-AURORA-DAVISON-HANSON-MCCOOK-
MINNEHAHA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WOONSOCKET...HOWARD...MADISON...
FLANDREAU...CHAMBERLAIN...KIMBALL...PLANKINTON...WHITE LAKE...
STICKNEY...MITCHELL...ALEXANDRIA...EMERY...SALEM...CANISTOTA...
BRIDGEWATER...MONTROSE...SIOUX FALLS
426 PM CST WED DEC 20 2006

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 6 PM CST
THURSDAY...

THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 6 PM
CST THURSDAY.

AFTER A PERIOD OF LIGHT RAIN TONIGHT...A STRONGER BAND OF
PRECIPITATION WILL LIFT NORTH LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY.
THE RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW LATE TONIGHT...WITH PERHAPS A BRIEF
PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL SHOULD
OCCUR BETWEEN 6 AM AND 3 PM...LIFTING NORTHWARD FROM THE
INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR. GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES
WILL OCCUR TOWARD THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR...TAPERING TO AROUND
3 INCHES ALONG A LINE FROM FLANDREAU TO WOONSOCKET.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW...SLEET...OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

$$

[Stephanie]

My father lives in Rye, CO which is in the Wet Mountains to the SW of Pueblo. They're calling for 1 - 3 feet of snow and there's an avalanche warning for those mountains amongst the others!

For anyone that's been through that south central part of the state, he's around Mt. Greenhorn and Rye is to the northeast of the Spanish Peaks.

[cpdaman]

i bet denver looks eerily familiar tonite to the scenes from the outlook hotel in "the shining"

they had about 14-20 or so inches in sw denver 3.5 hours ago now they must have had another 4-8 inches since then with DIA reporting heavy snow for the last few hours still.

so with an estimation of about 18-28 inches in SW metro denver and the snow continuing thru morning it seems to me they will get another 8 (if it lets up tommorrow early to -24 inches if it snows hard thru midday so I FORECAST they WILL wind up with 3 feet and maybe up to 4 in spots WOW

drifts will be amazing

[simplykristi]

I have relatives in western CO. We will get in touch with them this weekend to see how the western slope fared.

Metro Denver and points NE are getting hammered!

Kristi

[PTPatrick]

I can vouch for the insane amnts of snow in Denver. At this point, most roads, indlucing the hwys are impassible. I live about 5 blocks from the Captitol Building here in Denver and my street has mid-thigh deep drifts on the sides. Most cars are more or less burried. The road itself has about 12 inches of accumulation on it with a good 2 ft between lanes. Snow drifts are seeming to be a bit of a problem for snow accums. The flat area where people walk dogs has around 18-20", my patio has huge drifts, and my patio table is almost disappeared under snow. Assuming the the 18 to 20 is right and snow continues to come down at around an inch an hour, with this forecast well into the night...I dont see where another 8 inches will be hard to get to. That would put downtown Denver somewhere in the area of 26+ inches. As I stated in the posts earlier, the very dry snow is yielded high snow to liquid ratios, so I think totals are winding up a little higher than forecast. I have been out in this walking and the snow is so powdering my pants were barely wet! I have taken picuteres but having trouble with uploading so will post when available.

[CajunMama]

Pics PT Pics! please

[JonathanBelles]

wow UPS stopped deliveries, denver intl is closed for at least 2 days.

[PTPatrick]

I really wish I could, the camera is having issues...it may be a couple days. just go to
http://www.cotrip.org/atis/web.ZoomboxM ... Zoombox=12

you look at those cams, you will see more snow than you can shake a stick at.

[PTPatrick]

nothigns surprises me about UPS, NOTHING is moving, I havent seen a car, other than a 4x4 truck with a plow on the front come by, and actually he got stuck!

[PTPatrick]

just some notes...

4,700 travelers stranded at DIA

Earlier hundreds of motorists were nearly stranded on US 36 Denver to Boulder...the road got shut down do to multiple accidents. National Gaurd was called in, and the mall nearby was opened as a shelter. It is now back open, and from cams, looks nobody is there.

RTW, Denver Metro public transit shut down at 7:00...many passengers sat for hours at bus stops for buses that never came.

And yes, sometimes the mail DOES NOT go through...all Post offices from Pueblo to Wyoming and the eastern plains shut down at 2:00 today, on one of the top delivery days of the year.

[simplykristi]

I visited the CDOT site a little earlier. WOW is all I can say!

Kristi

[simplykristi]

My mom talked to my grandma in Grand Junction tonight and there is snow on the ground there.

Kristi

[tornadolvr]

is it just me or does it appear the snowfall is slowing down in intensity in Denver? latest observations from 3 airports are reporting light snow. also, it looks like a dry slot is trying to punch in from the East.

[Scott Patterson]

Strom was just an east slope storm it seems. Over here there was another 2.5 to 3" of snow on the ground. Steamboat at mid mountain got 14", but that's hardly a big storm for them.

[PTPatrick]

Well, i am now for all intents and purposes burried here in downtown Denver. my street is secondary so it has about 1-2 foot deep ruts in it where some big trucks have gone by but other than that, impassable for anybody with regular vehicles...although i did see a camry on a main road, that person probably lived on the main road. The main raods are all snow paked and 1-2 lanes, but nobody can get to them. For the most part Denver is shut down for the day. I have now mesaured 25 inches in the flattest open part I could find. Drifts however are closer to 3-5 feet. Many cars have only side mirrors sticking out. I passed a guy snow shoeing down the street, with poles. My bright idea to go look at the cherry creek was cut short when I stepped into decieving waist deep snow only to loose my shoe, then i had to walk back home down the middle of the street with one foot unshoed. the sidewalks are mosly 1-2 feet deep with some high drifts on the edges. Between my building and the next there is 5 foot wide "ally" that had a drift about chest deep. And yes....its is still snowing moderatly

[Portastorm]

Thanks for that report PTPatrick ... enjoy that blizzard ... lucky dog! Your description reminds me of a few snowstorms I lived through as a kid in northeastern Ohio.

[vbhoutex]

Those cams are simply astounding!!!!

[PTPatrick]

I need help...I fly out of Denver to Houston on Saturday morning. DIA is scheduled to start up at 12:00 tomorrow. My question, is do scheduled people get to keep there flights? I am worried I might get bumped or canceled do to volume or something...has anybody ever been in this situation, flying in the days AFTER a blizzard? I am hoping that I can only expect delays but no cancelation. And it would seem that bybumping people still scheduled they would just create a bigger backlog. So what do they do, just bring in more flights to get people out tomorrow?

[vbhoutex]

I need help...I fly out of Denver to Houston on Saturday morning. DIA is scheduled to start up at 12:00 tomorrow. My question, is do scheduled people get to keep there flights? I am worried I might get bumped or canceled do to volume or something...has anybody ever been in this situation, flying in the days AFTER a blizzard? I am hoping that I can only expect delays but no cancelation. And it would seem that bybumping people still scheduled they would just create a bigger backlog. So what do they do, just bring in more flights to get people out tomorrow?

Don't know a definite answer, but sometimes they do bring in extra planes to help with the backlog. Of course the caveat is if they have landing spots at the other end.