Up to 4 feet of snow, drifts of 6 feet on Pikes Peak after weekend storm
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Because of the ongoing drought in this region, Pikes Peak has received below-average snowfall this season but the past weekend's winter storm brought significant moisture.
Officials at America's Mountain said Tuesday that they measured from three to four feet of snow, with wind-blown drifts of six feet.
Because of the heavy accumulation, the Pikes Peak Highway was closed halfway from the summit 20 miles up, at the Halfway picnic area.
Five large plows continue to work on snow removal, and officials said most of the snow fell between the timber line and Glen Cove, with the summit receiving very little.
Because of snow, the construction crew building the new Summit House have been unable to work since last week, but are expected to resume work later this week. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of spring.
Officials said they expect a few more inches of snow overnight Tuesday from the latest storm, and that wind could still blow existing snow over roads that have already been plowed.
"Why does the storm come in and dump so much between mile marker 15 and 16, and then skip between 16 and 19?" said Brad Densmore, a supervisor for the Pikes Peak Highway. "There was limited snow compared to the other parts of the mountain. So the next storm may blow in a different direction and we'll get drifts in different places."
