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A winter storm has brought heavy snow to the Denver area. There will be major impacts and travel should be avoided if possible.
DENVER — A major snowstorm is impacting travel in the Denver metro area, Front Range foothills and mountains
The potent storm is expected to bring more than a foot of snow to metro Denver and Boulder.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the Denver metro area, Boulder, and much of the Front Range until 6 a.m. Friday.
The snow that began falling Wednesday night is expected to continue through Thursday, with the storm tapering off Friday. The 9NEWS weather team is forecasting 10 to 20 inches of snow in the Denver metro area with up to 24 inches in the western suburbs.
Hundreds of Colorado schools, government offices and courts, and businesses are closed Thursday.
Here’s what you need to know Thursday.
Road conditions and traffic impacts
Interstate 70 eastbound is closed Thursday morning in both directions between Silverthorne and Golden due to the snow.
U.S. 40 was closed from Golden to Clear Creek Canyon, and CO-119 was closed between Blackhawk and U.S. 6.
There was no estimate on when the roads would reopen.
Colorado State Patrol said on Wednesday afternoon that they were predicting closures of Interstate 70, U.S. 40, U.S. 6, U.S. 285 and Colorado 119.
“It’s all about balance,” CSP said. “Does the need to travel outweigh the potential consequences?”
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the city will use a Tier 4 response — its highest response level — to respond to the storm.
Johnston said the city will be deploying all of its plows. That includes 54 big plows to clear major roads and 36 to handle residential streets. Major roads will be plowed every 12 hours and residential streets will be plowed every 24 hours. They will continue operating through Friday.
School and business closings
Hundreds of schools, businesses, museums and government offices are closed Thursday.
Denver Public Schools, Cherry Creek Schools, Douglas County School District, Jeffco Public Schools, Mapleton Public Schools, Boulder Valley School District are among the districts that are closed Thursday due to the snow.
The University of Colorado has closed its campuses in Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs. Many Colorado community colleges are also closed Thursday.
Denver International Airport impacts
The winter storm has canceled and delayed hundreds of flights at Denver International Airport.
More than 800 flights had been canceled at Denver’s airport as of 5 a.m. Thursday, according to FlightAware.
When will the snow end?
This system will start to move its way out early Friday, from north to south. By Friday night, most of the state will be clear of snowfall, with some lingering rain/snow showers across the Four Corners region. As the system clears, Denver highs will continue to drop, Friday afternoon, into the lower 40s.
For the weekend, we’ll see in-and-out cloud cover, with afternoon highs below average, in the middle to upper 40s, both days. Slight snow chances return to the area Sunday evening.
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