Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Snowstorm slams Thornton wreaking havoc along the way

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An image taken from ThorntonWeather.com's east camera at the height of the storm on Tuesday.
An image taken from ThorntonWeather.com's east camera at the height of the storm on Tuesday.

Update, 3:25pm: With many businesses and schools closed for the day, Thornton residents have spent the day digging out from a snowstorm that officially dumped 10 inches of snow in Denver. Areas to the west in the foothills and the south along the Palmer Divide had 18 inches or more while ThorntonWeather.com recorded 8.9 inches.  Click here to view the latest snowfall reports.

This latest snowfall puts Denver at 12.0 inches of snow for the month as measured at the official station at Denver International Airport. That is slightly above the March average of 11.7 inches. For the season, Denver has recorded 58.0 inches which is fast approaching the average of 61.7 inches.

As in the past, questions continue to dog the weather measurements at DIA however as they don’t reflect what most of the population of Denver actually sees. The accuracy of the measurements also is questionable as yesterday DIA recorded 0.61 inch of precipitation – far below what was likely received between the rain and snow melt.

Out at DIA, operations are slowly getting back to normal after scores of flights had been canceled due to the weather. At one point the FAA imposed a hold on arriving flights so the airport could catch up on departures. Many flights had been delayed while waiting for deicing and snow removal operations.

Xcel Energy continues to try to work to restore power to all of its customers after up to 36,000 lost electricity. The power company’s website still lists hundreds of outages affecting thousands of customers, including many in Thornton.

As always, stay tuned to ThorntonWeather.com for truly local weather for Thornton. 

You can also signup to receive the latest weather alerts and forecasts via email here.

Update, 9:55am: Is that some blue sky peeking out? As the March snowstorm of 2010 starts to move out of the Denver area, some places are actually seeing a break in the clouds.

Road crews continue to clean up what is left of a very wet and heavy snowfall that struck the Mile High City late yesterday afternoon. Thornton was on accident alert for a couple of hours this morning but no longer. 

In a span of just a couple of hours yesterday, the storm brought everything from rain and snow to graupel, thunder, lightning and even thundersnow. To see the wide variety of conditions, check out this amazing time lapse video from yesterday.

Snow totals for the area range from 6 inches in areas farther north like Fort Collins to 20 inches up in Genesee. Denver International Airport recorded 10 inches and Denver City Park 8.3 inches.  Here at ThorntonWeather.com we recorded 8.9 inches.  Click here to view the latest snowfall reports.

Many businesses are closed today which has helped to ease the morning commute for those brave enough to venture out. At the current time, most major roadways are very wet and some slush does exist causing splash back. Side streets are where residents are having the most problems as it is deep enough to cause non four wheel drive vehicles to get stuck.

Most Denver area school districts have shuttered for the day. Adams County, Aurora, Brighton, Cherry Creek, Denver, Jefferson County and Mapleton school districts are all closed.  Adams 12 students are on spring break so they miss out on the snow day. 

Denver International Airport was affected by the snowstorm and saw numerous delays due to snow removal and deicing operations. Some flights were canceled during the storm and that is creating a rush at the airport for the stranded travelers. DIA is asking all passengers to check with their airlines and confirm their flights are still on for today before going to the airport.

Original story, 5:00am: March is historically Denver’s snowiest month and March 2010 looks to live up to that billing. A early spring snowstorm blew into the Mile High City late Tuesday snarling roadways, knocking out power to thousands and wreaking havoc across the Front Range.

The evening commute on Tuesday turned into a nightmare for many as the snow struck as many were trying to make their way home. Accidents and motorists spinning out on the wet spring snow slowed traffic to a crawl in many areas.

The Colorado Department of Transportation deployed more than 70 pieces of snow removal equipment on the highways but with snow falling at rates up to 3 inches per hour, they struggled to keep up. I-25 for 22 miles south from Lincoln was closed overnight due to the hazardous conditions but has reopened this morning.

Major highways including I-70 through the high country are open but are reporting snowpacked conditions. With the cold overnight temperatures, icing will be a problem for motorists.

The heavy wet snow coupled with strong winds to 30mph has knocked out power to over 15,000 Xcel Energy customers in the Denver metro area including many in Thornton.  The company said it was working to restore power as quickly as possible but the severe weather conditions were hampering its efforts.

Those school children that were lucky enough to have had their spring break last week will be getting an extra day off today.  Adams 12 Five Star Schools are on break this week so those students miss out on the snow day.  All metro area schools districts are reporting closures today including Aurora, Brighton, Cherry Creek, Denver, Jefferson County and Mapleton school districts.

Out at Denver International Airport, the nation’s fifth busiest airport and the tenth busiest in the world has weathered the storm relatively well. At the height of the storm Tuesday evening airlines were forced to cancel flights as the airport struggled to keep up with the mountain snow and lines of planes needing to be deiced.

This morning the airport is reporting that it is open however operations are slowed. Pena Boulevard is open but it is currently slushy and snow packed. Travelers should check with their airlines before going to the airport.

The snow is continuing in the early morning hours today and will do so until late morning. Additional snow accumulations from 2 to 4 inches are possible across the Front Range.  By noon though we should start to see at least some clearing. 

A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for the entire Front Range and will be in effect until 6:00pm Wednesday. It is likely that as conditions start to clear later this morning that warning will be lifted early however it is still a precarious situation outside. 

Remember that a Winter Storm Warning means hazardous winter weather conditions are imminent or highly likely. Significant snow accumulations are expected and strong winds are possible. Road conditions may deteriorate and travel could become hazardous.

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