.
5/12/14, "Spring storm drops foot of snow on Colorado, Wyoming," AP, T. Peipert, via Portland Press Herald (Maine)
"Denver officials plan to deploy as many as 70 snowplows to prepare for the Monday commute."
"A powerful spring storm dropped more than a foot of sloppy, wet snow in
parts of Colorado and Wyoming on Mother’s Day, causing crashes and
leading to road closures, and forecasters warned that conditions could
get worse as temperatures plummeted overnight.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most
of northern Colorado and parts of southern Wyoming for all of Sunday and
Monday morning.
Forecasters also warned that strong thunderstorms and tornadoes could develop in Nebraska and Iowa on Sunday.
A
tornado was reported in south-central Nebraska, the weather service
said, but no significant damage was seen immediately. There was a
moderate risk of severe weather in the area into Sunday night, the
weather service said.
In Colorado, Department of Transportation
officials said plunging temperatures and heavy, wet snow created icy
conditions and forced several closures along Interstate 70 west of
Denver on Sunday afternoon. Multiple accidents were reported on the
mountain corridor, frustrating skiers and snowboarders eager to get a
few more runs in before the season ends. Authorities also closed parts
of Interstate 25 because of several accidents Sunday afternoon.
Snow
amounts could vary greatly, but up to 15 inches could fall at higher
elevations and 4 to 9 inches could fall at lower elevations, including
Denver and other cities along Colorado’s Front Range.
“May snow
certainly isn’t unheard of here in Colorado, even down in the Denver
metro area,” said David Barjenbruch, a weather service meteorologist in
Boulder. “If we see the total accumulations that we are anticipating
from this storm, we are certainly going to see a top 10 May snow event
for the Denver metro area.”
Barjenbruch said a foot of snow had
already fallen in the foothills of Larimer County northwest of Denver by
Sunday morning, and workers along much of the Front Range can expect a
“slushy, sloppy morning commute” Monday.
Winds gusting up to 30 mph could reduce visibility, and slushy roads could be treacherous to drive. Denver officials planned to deploy up to 70 snowplows overnight to prepare for Monday’s commute.
The
weather service also warned that snow could be heavy and wet enough to
snap tree limbs and power lines, causing power failures.
Julie
Smith, a spokeswoman for Denver International Airport, said crews have
treated runways in anticipation of dropping temperatures Sunday night."
====================
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment