Southern Colorado agencies prepare for midweek storm bringing heavy snow, rain

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Area street and road crews normally have to prepare for storms that bring either rain or snow, but a storm arriving Tuesday evening is expected to bring significant amounts of both.

Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Pikes Peak Office of Emergency Management met separately this afternoon to finalize their strategies for responding to the storm that's expected to deposit up to a foot of snow at higher elevations, and several inches of rain at lower elevations through Wednesday night.

Just after 2 p.m. Tuesday, heavy snow began falling in Teller County; it lasted for an hour with most of it melting, until another wave arrived around 4:30 p.m. with less milting and more accumulation.

Plows rushed out to start snow removal, and first responders stood ready to help out during an emergency -- something they regularly train for.

"There's a lot that plays into that," said Commander Lad Sullivan, of the Teller County Sheriff's Office. "The ability of first responders to be able to respond, for people to get to work, if they need to. If someone has a medical emergency, can we get medical equipment to them? So we actually look at this quite often. Our hope is that citizens are as prepared as we are."

Most paved roads were wet or slushy as of 6 p.m. but were expected to become icy and slick ovenight.

For residents who live between elevations of 8,000 and 9,000 feet, a foot of snow generally causes less trouble in Teller County than if it fell in Colorado Springs; but many residents are thankful for the much-needed moisture after a rash of early-season wildfires in the area -- including the nearby 403 Fire several weeks ago.

Higher-elevation areas of neighboring El Paso County -- such as Black Forest, Monument and Ute Pass -- also were expected to receive significant amounts of snow.

"(It) can be heavy snow which can cause limbs and branches to break on your trees, possible power outages," said Andrew Notbohm, acting director of El Paso County Emergency Management. "So, be prepared. Make sure your phone is charged, got a flashlight, batteries, stuff like that."