Denver weather blog: Colorado snow updates, road impacts and closures (2024)

The major Denver snowstorm is expected to finally come to an end as flurries across Colorado will taper off and the winter storm warning is set to expire this morning.

The Denver7 news team is tracking the latest storm updates, closures, and sharing news from local agencies.

Refresh this page for updates and keep checking back for new details.

LINKS: Closings and Delays | Latest forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream

Friday, March 15

5:15 p.m. | MANITOU INCLINE | The Manitou Incline is closed due to deep snow and ice until Monday at 6 a.m.

4:27 p.m. | RMNP UPDATE | Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road from Deer Ridge Junction to Many Parks Curve has reopened. Bear Lake and Wild Basin Roads remain closed.

4:10 p.m. | XCEL ENERGY UPDATE | Xcel Energy says 6,577 customers remain without power as of now. It said it expects to restore power for the majority of customers today, but work will continue overnight and Saturday. More details here.

4 p.m. | SNOW TOTALS | Thursday's snowstorm around Colorado was best measured in feet, not inches, with totals reaching beyond four feet in some locations. We have the latest snow totals here.

2:30 p.m. | RULES ON SHOVELING SIDEWALKS | While the sun is finally out, don't depend on mother nature to melt all the snow away. If you're wondering what are the rules for shoveling your sidewalks in Denver or other metro communities, we have a break out here.

3:04 p.m. | RMNP UPDATE | Rocky Mountain National Park roads have reopened from Beaver Meadows entrance to Fall River enttrance, the park announced Friday afternoon. Other roads are still closed.

1:12 p.m. | RTD SERVICE DELAYS | The Regional Transportation District suspended bus routes CV and EV through the end of the day due to road conditions. Route NB from Nederland Park-n-Ride to Eldora is suspended due to the storm, RTD said.

1:05 p.m. | CASTLEWOOD CANYON CLOSURE | Castlewood Canyon is closed today and potentially longer, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife overseeing the Northeast Region. The roads are impassible because of the snow, CPW said.

12:48 p.m. | GOLDEN GATE CANYON CLOSURE | Campground reservations are canceled through Monday at Golden Gate Canyon, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife overseeing the Northeast Region.

"Please contact the office for refunds or rescheduling," CPW NE Region said on the social media site X.

12:30 p.m. | XCEL ENERGY UPDATE | No power at home? You're likely one of more than 7,700 Xcel Energy customers around the Denver metro area waiting for the lights — and heat — to come back on.

As of 12:27 p.m., crews are working on 496 outages impacting 7,738 customers. The majority of these cases are in west and south Denver. Those numbers have dropped from 11:47 a.m. Friday, when 8,871 customers were without power.

Since 6 a.m. Thursday, Xcel Energy has fixed 933 individual outages that impacted 97,296 customers, the company said on Friday morning.

For more information, see Xcel Energy's interactive outage map here. Click here for the latest updates on the storm's impacts.

11:15 a.m. | TRASH PICKUP UPDATE | The city of Louisville says trash service provided by Republic Services will be postponed by one day. "Due to road conditions, Republic Services is unable to complete curbside trash/recycling/compost collections within Louisville," according to the city's social media post. Here's the latest.

10:50 a.m. | SNOW TOTALS REPORT | We're continuing to track the latest Denver metro and Colorado snow total reports. Here's the list of the top 10 highest snow totals over the last 24 hours from National Weather Service data.

• Nederland (4 miles ENE): 53"
• Eldora (1 mile WSW): 46"
• Genesee (1 mile NNW): 45.7"
• Jamestown (3 miles W): 45.5"
• Aspen Springs (1 mile W): 45.5"
• Manitou Springs (1 mile SW): 44"
• Divide (1 mile NE): 42"
• Pinecliffe (4 miles SSE): 41.2"
• Echo Lake (1 mile NNE): 41"
• St Marys Glacier (1 mile SSE): 40.5"

10:30 a.m. | AVALANCHE RISK | Dangerous avalanche conditions exist around the backcountry, and snow is still falling in parts of the mountains.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s message is simple: If you’re having trouble getting out of your driveway, don’t go anywhere near avalanche terrain.

Today, avalanches will run long distances naturally. Hiking in valley bottoms, which is typically a safe alternative, could be hazardous.

CAIC is also warning about roof avalanches. Be careful walking near or below roof edges.

Always check CAIC’s website before heading out in the backcountry.

10:05 a.m. | SKI RESORT CLOSED | Eldora says it is unlikely to open on Friday as crews work on avalanche mitigation and "prepare roads/lots/lodges/lifts/slopes to receive guests again as soon as we possibly can," according to its website.

The resort urges visitors to avoid heading to Eldora until an "all-clear announcement." You can find updates at Eldora.com.

9:45 a.m. | ROAD CLOSURE | While road conditions across the Denver metro improved Friday morning, closures are still reported in Colorado's high country. CO 46 is closed between CO 119 and Golden Gate Drive due to safety concerns, says CDOT. Both the east and westbound lanes of US6 are also closed between Mile Point 222 and I-70.

9:15 a.m. | DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT UPDATE | With the spring break rush on, the delays and cancellations at DIA have slowed down from the hundreds reported the last couple of days. Here's the latest info from FlightAware.com.

• 211 total delays
• Cancellations: 20

5:38 a.m. | CU BOULDER CANCELS CLASSES | Classes and administration activities at the University of Colorado in Boulder have been cancelled Friday due to the winter storm. Check this link for impacts.

Check this link for a running list of other winter weather closures in Colorado.

5:34 a.m. | I-70 UPDATE | While I-70 in both directions is open through Colorado's mountains, expect icy conditions and snow on the roadway with areas of fog this morning.

5:29 a.m. | DENVER NEIGHBORHOODS | Denver7 reporter Veronica Acosta is tracking conditions in Denver neighborhoods. This is the scene near 11th Avenue and Vine where a large branch came down blocking the sidewalk. The street looks pretty passable as a private plow worked to clear the snow.

An early look at snowy Denver side streets

5:15 a.m. | DIA CHECK | Denver7's Wanya Reese is out at Denver International Airport checking travel conditions. He says right now it's a "good idea" to head through the west security checkpoint or security bridge instead of the south. The second photo is the line for the @FlyFrontiercheck in counter. Other airline check in counters look fine.

4:30 a.m. | LIVE NEWS | Denver7 has multiple crews across the metro and other Colorado locations tracking road conditions. Watch Denver7's live news stream at this link or the player below:

Denver7 News Overnight

4:15 a.m. | WEATHER UPDATE | While the snow tapers off this morning and temperatures will be slightly warmer, it'll take a bit for what's left behind to melt away. Denver7 Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo says snow showers are streaming back into the southern metro area, but little accumulation is expected.

After AM snow, this afternoon's high temp is expected to be 39 degrees in Denver with an overnight low of 24 degrees before the warm up begins. The weekend should bring high temperatures to around 50 degrees before settling into the 60s for the early part of next week in the metro.

4:12 a.m. | THURSDAY'S UPDATES | We tracked all the weather and road updates during yesterday's snowstorm. You can click this link to scroll through how Thursday unfolded in Denver and across Colorado.

Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.

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