Spring storm dumps eight inches of snow on Elizabeth

ELIZABETH, Colo. -- It may be Spring Break for students in the Town of Elizabeth, but they woke up to more than eight inches of snow Friday morning.

"It was like 80 yesterday and now it's like 49," said high school student Stetson Littlejohn, who spent the morning shoveling snow. "It's heavy, wet, it's like a boulder."

Residents said the snow, combined with the wind, closed streets and stranded drivers. Neighbors helped each other shovel the sidewalks.

"I just do it bit by bit," said Astrid Stocks, 79.

Vince Pemberton started plowing the streets just after 5 a.m. and said it took him and other trucks more than an hour to make it into Elizabeth. He's just happy to see the much needed moisture.

"This is what we've been needing for quite awhile, we've been really dry out here," said Pemberton.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report, the entire eastern half of Colorado is either experiencing moderate or severe drought conditions. Nearly all of Lincoln County is under a severe drought leaving wheat farmers on edge.

"They need rain by now, basically, if they don't have it now, the next couple weeks I think that they're really gonna [sic] be sweating it; and I think you're going to see a lot of them calling in and maybe reporting those acres that aren't gonna [sic] yield, and it's just going to become burdensome for the whole system," said Joe Petrocco of Petrocco Farms.

Some areas of Lincoln County, like Limon, saw two inches of precipitation.