Residents in Walsenburg-Trinidad areas report between 5-15 inches of snow in latest storm
WALSENBURG, Colo. (KRDO) -- People in Huerfano and Las Animas counties saw the sun come out and snow begin to melt late Thursday morning, after an overnight winter storm dumped a considerable amount of snow.
Driving conditions improved to the point that most roads were wet, but clear of ice and snow -- partly because of overnight work by snowplow crews.
On Wednesday night as the snow began falling, a Federal Express semi-truck overturned in the median along Interstate 25, south of Pueblo; the driver went to a hospital for treatment.
After the last round of the heaviest snow fell between 5:30 a.m. and 7 a.m., Walsenburg-area residents said that they received five to ten inches; meanwhile, residents to the south in the Trinidad area reported seeing between ten and fifteen inches.
"The roads were pretty good," said Russell Hovis, who lives west of Trinidad, in Weston. "We're on our way to Pueblo for a doctor's appointment. We have 15 inches around our house."
Hovis and his wife stopped in Walsenburg to brush excess snow from their car before continuing north.
The heavier accumulations around Trinidad led to a two-hour closure of Interstate 25, 11 miles from south of town to the New Mexico line. The Colorado Department of Transportation closed the freeway at 7:40 a.m. and reopened it at round 9:40 a.m.
At the Love's truck stop in Walsenburg, several semi-truck drivers spun their wheels on the snowy, slick pavement.
"I'm hauling cardboard for Amazon," said John Gonzalez, who was heading to Colorado Springs from El Paso, Texas. "It’s not really a heavy load, so I’ve got to chain up so that I’m not sliding all over. I guess Amazon needs a lot of cardboard for the Xmas season. Quit ordering Amazon, ha ha."
At times, snow fell so heavily that it covered pavement that had just beed plowed by drivers like Sean Sanchez.
“Actually, I wasn’t sure if I was going to plow or not this morning until I saw the snow flying, and decided to come out and make sure that everything was kosher," he said. "It makes more sense to just wait until the snow stops, but you can't do that when businesses are open and customers are going in and out."
Alejandro Morales works at a nearby marijuana dispensary and said that taking a snow day is out of the question.
“Sometimes, you can be at home, losing your mind, not knowing what to do with the snow," he said. "So, it’s cool to keep my mind entertained and busy, and then when I do get home, I get to play with the snow.”
Icy roads could develop overnight Thursday as temperatures drop on wet surfaces.
