Blizzard in Colorado Springs area will affect Tuesday commute
The warning came early and the blizzard came swiftly; high winds and blowing snow are creating terrible conditions on the roads from Colorado Springs northward.
Several inches of snow are expected, and there was already significant accumulation by midnight. Interstate 25 was brought to a crawl, and many side streets were emptied due to the weather. Click here for an updating traffic map.
As of midnight on Monday, Fountain and Colorado Springs police were on accident alert status. That means if nobody is injured and all vehicles are legal during a crash, exchange information and report it to police later on. To report a crash through CSPD during the cold reporting period click here.
A traction law is in effect for drivers traveling on I-25 between Colorado Springs and Denver. The Colorado Department of Transportation stated their concern for traffic on I-25. Between the high winds, drifting snow and snow-packed surfaces CDOT warned drivers to slow down and to not pass snowplows.
Highway 24 east of Colorado Springs is closed from Peterson Blvd. to Limon. The east side of town also has Woodmen Rd. closed between Black Forest Rd. and Falcon.
The Falcon Fire Department tweeted an update saying the roads near Falcon and Peyton are not in good shape and “impassable” between Peyton Hwy and Murr Rd. due to drifting.
CO 83 is closed in both directions between County Line Rd. and Franktown.
Despite the bad weather conditions, the Colorado Springs Airport only experienced one outbound cancellation to Dallas. To check your flight status click here.
Denver International Airport saw more delays as airlines were deicing. KDVR reported at one the airport experienced a ground delay. To check your flight status click here.
Click here for school delays and closures.
Earlier
A blizzard warning has been issued for northern El Paso County extending up to Douglas and Elbert County and across the Palmer Divide from 8 p.m. Monday through 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Travel will be dangerous during this timeframe of the blizzard warning (8 p.m. tonight through 11 a.m.
Tuesday) and should be avoided altogether. This snow spreads south toward the southern mountains through the overnight.
Click here for school delays and closures.
IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that Blizzard Warnings are almost always issued to highlight the high wind component of the storm itself and, often times, have little to do with the snowfall amount. The high winds that will accompany this storm as it moves in overnight will yield white-out conditions leading to reduced visibility through Tuesday morning. The worst conditions will be found north of Colorado Springs along I-25 all the way to the Palmer Divide and Douglas County.
Expect the snow and winds to hit overnight for all of southern Colorado, likely after midnight, and lingering through Tuesday morning’s commute. Snow accumulations will be generally light for Colorado Springs area (Trace – 2″) with more moderate accumulations confined to Monument (3″- 6″) and the higher terrain of Teller County (2″- 5″).
Stick with KRDO.com and watch NewsChannel13 for weather updates.
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