Another round of winter weather will sweep across Colorado’s Front Range and Eastern Plains on Friday, with forecasters expecting treacherous road conditions and nearly 3 feet of snow in some areas.
Metro Denver and the southern foothills will see 7 to 14 inches of snow starting Friday morning and continuing into Saturday, with the heaviest snowfall along Interstate 70 and to the south.
“Travel will be impossible east and southeast of Denver,” National Weather Service forecasters said in a winter storm warning Thursday. “Do not travel or expect to travel in those locations through at least Saturday as heavy snow impacts will last long past this storm.”
People living in rural areas of eastern Douglas, Elbert, Lincoln and southern Washington counties should prepare to be stranded for several days, NWS forecasters said.
Historic snow accumulation is expected in Elbert and Lincoln counties, with snow reaching nearly 3 feet in some areas.
Metro drivers can expect a difficult evening commute as the heaviest snow will start falling around noon and will continue to fall at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour into the evening.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials urged drivers to avoid traveling east of Interstate 25 and south of Interstate 76 to the New Mexico and Kansas state lines because of “treacherous, sustained adverse winter conditions.”
“The storm may look like it is leaving later this afternoon, but the next round is expected to be worse than what we have already seen,” John Lorme, CDOT director of maintenance and operations, said in a statement.
CDOT officials expect “moderate to extreme impacts” throughout the eastern half of the state, with the most severe weather hitting the Eastern Plains and southern Colorado.
Drivers should expect long-term road closures in those areas, according to the agency.
Northern Colorado will likely see more mild snow, including Fort Collins, Greeley and the Eastern Plains north of I-76, according to the National Weather Service.
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