Crews, homeowners continue to dig out from Tuesday’s blizzard in El Paso County

After a delay because of strong winds Tuesday, work crews in El Paso County made progress Wednesday in clearing away snow from roads and highways.

Sunshine and warmer temperatures helped crews from the county and state better respond to hard-hit rural areas.

Snowdrifts on dirt roads were at least 1 foot high in Calhan, but drifts were at least 10-feet high around many homes, blocking driveways, garages, and barns.

Homeowners were out removing excess snow from their properties.

“I’ve lived here 14 years, and I’ve never seen snowdrifts like this,” said Pete Munster, a Calhan resident. “I have drifts as high as 22 feet on my property. I had to use my tractor to clear my driveways and the front of my garage where my horses and vehicles were.”

Although some snowpack remained on U.S. 24 outside Calhan, the highway through town was just wet and slushy.

Crews shifted their focus to Black Forest, Monument and other areas in the northern part of the county.

Tuesday was the second snowstorm in less than a week for the area, and more snow is expected during the next week.

“You can’t blame this on the (surrounding) wind farm,” Munster said. “The turbines aren’t snow magnets. It’s just Mother Nature.”