IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — As travelers head home from holiday festivities this weekend, many will encounter winter driving conditions after a snowstorm dumped up to a foot in parts of the high country Sunday.
The cold front comes after Denver set a record for the hottest Christmas Day on record at 71 degrees. On Thursday, the Mile High City broke the previous December 25 record high of 69 degrees set back in 2005.
Now, a few days after Christmas, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is reminding drivers to be prepared for winter weather along the I-70 Mountain Corridor. Amber Shipley, Communications Manager for CDOT's Region 2, said she expects to see a surge in holiday traffic Sunday afternoon, which could make driving more complicated with overnight snowfall.
"Allow that extra time, regardless of whether there's, you know, snow impacts or not. Adding extra time helps eliminate a lot of the impatience and frustrations that travelers have, and that way they can get to their destination safely," said Shipley.
Denver7 spoke with drivers who stopped in Idaho Springs while traveling on I‑70 for the holidays. Many people emphasized the importance of quality snow tires for navigating winter conditions in the mountains.
"The big deal is snow tires, and like real snow tires. Especially when you’re going over Vail Pass and over Eisenhower," said Vail resident Greg Sawyer, who works as a paramedic for Eagle County. "Because once somebody starts spinning out, we’ll see crashes, and it’ll just back up the whole system."
"Drive slower than you think you need to, but not so slow that you’re holding everyone up," said Matt Keith, who traveled from Lansing, Michigan, to Idaho Springs for the holidays.
CDOT data shows more than 350,000 drivers passed through the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels last year from Dec. 23 to Dec. 31. This year, Shipley said the warmer weather and lack of snow could impact those numbers.
"We don't have the snow up on the slopes the way that we've had in prior years, so we think that that might affect travel into the mountains a little bit, but we know that people are still out there ready to ski," she said.
CDOT is urging travelers to check road conditions before heading out the door. You can get information about current road conditions and anticipated travel impacts from CDOT by clicking here.
