DENVER — A major Arctic blast continues in Colorado and the Denver metro area. This MLK Day 2024, Denver7 is updating Colorado road and business closures and other impacts including to the MLK Jr. Marade.
Below, you can find updates related to traffic and weather as the storm moves through. Refresh this page for the latest. If reading this in the Denver7 mobile app, click here for the latest updates.
LINKS: Closings and Delays | Latest forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Monday, January 15
9:38 p.m. | TRAFFIC ALERT | A multi-vehicle crash has closed two lanes of northbound Interstate 25 between Tomah Road and Plum Creek Parkway near Castle Rock.
7:04 p.m. | SCHOOL DELAY | The University of Denver will delay its opening Tuesday until 10 a.m. For the latest delays and closures, click here.
6:40 p.m. | CLOSURE | Berthoud Pass will remain closed due to avalanche danger.
5:28 p.m. | I-70 CLOSURE | Eastbound I-70 is back open at Vail.
5:09 p.m. | I-70 CLOSURE | Westbound I-70 is back open at Copper Mountain.
5:01 P.M. | I-70 CLOSURE | Both directions of I-70 are shut down between exit 173 (Vail) and exit 195; Copper Mountain to Mile Point 195, said CDOT.
3:52 P.M. | I-25 CLOSURE | The southbound lanes of I-25 between CO 52 and Exit 232 is closed. Traffic is being diverted onto Colorado 52, said CDOT.
3:49 P.M. | I-225 REOPENS | CDOT said northbound I-225 at Alameda in Aurora is back open after an early crash involving multiple vehicles shut down the interstate.
2:55 P.M. | DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLOSED TUESDAY | DPS announced on social media all schools and administrative officer will be closed on Tuesday. The closure also includes Emily Griffith Technical College.
1:52 P.M. | I-225 CLOSURE | The northbound lanes of I-225 at Alameda Avenue in Aurora are closed due to a crash with minor injuries. APD tells Denver7 the crash involves several vehicles and northbound traffic is being diverted onto Alameda.
1:35 P.M. | DOUGLAS COUNTY CLASSES CANCELLED TUESDAY | DCSD said school will be closed on Tuesday due to inclement weather conditions. See the announcement on the district's website.
1:32 P.M. | AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLOSED TUES. | APS said school will be cancelled Tuesday, which also includes Pickens Technical College. All evening events will also be cancelled for Tuesday night.
1:25 P.M. | I-25 CRASH| Mountain View Fire Rescue shared photos of a crash involving a tractor-trailer on I-25 between Hwy 52 and Erie Parkway. The southbound lanes of I-25 remained closed as of the early afternoon, according to CDOT.
1:16 P.M. | I-70 REOPENS| Both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70 have reopened at Floyd Hill, Exit 243 after an earlier closure, said CDOT.
12:45 P.M. | CHECK LIST OF COLORADO SCHOOL DELAYS| Denver7 is updating our latest list of school closures and delays as more districts announced updates Monday afternoon.
Check running list of school delays here.
12:38 P.M. | CHERRY CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT CLOSED TUESDAY| Due to freezing conditions, Cherry Creek School District announced classes and school activities will be cancelled for Tuesday. Before and after-school daycare programs will also be closed.
12:20 P.M. | JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLOSED TUESDAY | The district announced on Facebook all JeffCo will take a snow day on Tuesday and all buildings and facilities will be closed.
11:27 A.M. | UPDATED BUSINESS/SCHOOL CLOSURES, DELAYS
- Castle Rock Senior Center: Closed Today
- Community College of Denver- Auraria: Remote operations
- Dungarvin Day Program: Closed Today
- Greeley-Evans School Dist 6: Closed Tomorrow
- Help & Hope Center: Closed Today
- JeffCo Public Schools: Closed Tuesday
- Kit Carson School District R-1: Delayed 2 hours
- RE-1 Valley District-Sterling: Closed Tomorrow
- Sacred Heart of Jesus School: Delayed 2 hours
- The Joshua School for Autism-Denver: Closed Tomorrow
- Weld County RE-3J: Closed Tomorrow
- Weld County RE-4 Windsor/Severance Dist: Closed Tomorrow
- Weld RE-5J School District: Closed Tomorrow
11:06 A.M. | I-25 & ERIE PARKWAY CRASH | The crash on southbound I-25 at the Erie Parkway exit is diverting traffic through Erie along Highway 52, Erie police posted on the social media site X.
"Avoid traveling, if possible," the department said.
Increased Traffic Expected in Erie
— Erie CO Police (@ErieCOPolice) January 15, 2024
An accident on I-25 and Highway 52 (exit 235 , necessitating a closure of the SB lanes of the highway, is diverting traffic through Erie along Highway 52.
Avoid traveling, if possible.@MVFireRescue @ColoradoDOT
10:59 A.M. | COLORADO ROAD CLOSURES | CDOT said these other state highways have been closed due to adverse weather conditions:
- I-70 at Floyd Hill closed in both directions due to multiple spin outs
- EB I-70 in Silverthorne at mile marker 205 closed due to hazardous conditions
- WB I-70 in Georgetown at mile marker 228 closed due to hazardous conditions
10:56 A.M. | I-25 CRASH IN DACONO | Southbound I-25 between State Highway 52 and Exit 232 in Dacono is closed because of a crash, CDOT said on the social media site X.
Expect delays due to safety concerns, the department said, recommending the local detour drivers will be directed to in the area.
10:32 A.M. | BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT | BVSD announced all schools will be on a 2-hour delay for Tuesday. The district said however the following mountain schools would be closed on Tuesday:
- Nederland MSHS
- Nederland Elementary
- Gold Hill
- Jamestown
10:18 A.M. | DIA LATEST | According to FlightAware, Denver International Airport is reporting the latest winter weather impacts:
- Total DIA delays: 231
- Total cancellation at DIA: 318
10:05 A.M. | COLORADO ROAD CLOSURES | CDOT said these other state highways have been closed due to adverse weather conditions:
- US 6 Loveland Pass closed due to hazardous conditions
- US-40, MP 234.5 - 243, Berthoud pass closed due to hazardous conditions
- US-550, MP 71-91, Red Mountain Pass, closed northbound and southbound
- CO-14, MP 35-78 Cameron Pass closed eastbound and westbound
- CO-125, MP 0-52 south of Walden closed northbound and southbound
9:45 A.M. | I-70 CLOSED | Both directions of I-70 have been shut down between Exit 173 and Exit 195, due to safety concerns, said CDOT. This closure impacts I-70 between Vail and Copper Mountain.
9:35 A.M. | JACKSON COUNTY WARMING CENTER | The county shared a community alert stating 'all roads leading out of Jackson County are now closed.'
A warming center has been established for stranded motorists located at 410 Washington St. Walden, CO 80480.
9:30 A.M. | GRAND COUNTY ROAD CLOSURES | The sheriff's office said the following roads were closed due to whiteout conditions:
- Hwy 125 closed in both directions between Hwy 40 & Forest Service Road 730 (31 to 53 miles south of Walden)
- Hwy 40 closed in both directions between Kemry Lane (3 miles east of Steamboat Springs) & Spruce Street (Kremmling)
9:25 A.M. | I-25 & ERIE PARKWAY CRASH | Mountain View Fire Rescue reported at least six cars are involved in a crash on I-25 near the Erie Parkway exit. MVFD said there were no injuried reported, but many roads in the area were slick.
9:20 A.M. | DOUGLAS COUNTY ROADS | The sheriff's office shared a photo of road conditions. "#DCSO Sgt. Beyer reports that the roads are worse towards the south end of Douglas County. If you must be out on the roads, be careful and take it slow. 📷 Castle Pines at I-25."
9:17 A.M. | JACKSON COUNTY ROAD IMPACTS | A community alert was sent out to Jackson County residents for the following road closures due to deteriorating conditions:
- Highway 125 to Granby
- Highway 14 to Highway 40
- Highway 14 to the Poudre Canyon
- Roads that are open in Jackson County:
- Highway 125 and 127 to Wyoming, though road conditions are deteriorating quickly, and travel is not advised, said the county.
9:10 A.M. | I-70 CLOSURE | The eastbound lanes of I-70 are closed between Exit 243 and Exit 248 due to safety concerns, said CDOT. This is several miles east of Idaho Springs.
7:15 A.M. | UPDATED BUSINESS/SCHOOL CLOSURES, DELAYS
- Community College of Denver- Adv Manufacturing Center: Remote operations
- Bennett School District 29J: Closed Today
- Brush Public Schools: Closed Today
- Clear Creek School District RE-1: Closed Today
- Community College of Aurora: Remote Today
- Community College of Denver- Lowry: Remote operations
- Deer Trail School District 26J: Closed Today
- Kiowa Schools: Closed Today
- Lake County School District R-1: Closed Today
- Limon School District RE-4J: Closed Today
- Mapleton Public Schools: Closed Today
- Pawnee School District: Closed Today
- Red Rocks Community College: Remote Today
- St. Vrain Valley Dist RE-1J: Remote Tomorrow
- Westminster Public Schools: Closed Today and Tomorrow
- Wings Over the Rockies: Closed Today
7:00 A.M. | DENVER ROAD CONDITIONS | Generally a pretty quiet morning for commuters in the Denver metro area, says Denver7's Katie LaSalle. Light snow is sticking to roadways in spots with some difficulty in discerning lanes, overall "it's not terrible" but expect some ice spots on bridges and overpasses.
6:30 A.M. | MLK JR. MARADE| Organizers make changes to annual MLK Jr. Marade because of frigid temps:
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission has decided to cancel the program happening at the end of the Marade at Civic Center Park due to freezing temperatures.
Organizers have also opted to postpone the annual bike ride as well.
Despite those interruptions, the Marade will go on with changes, according to organizers, who are discouraging senior, small kids, and pets with underlying health issues from attending due to the extreme cold.
Read more changes to the MLK JR. Marade here.
6:15 A.M. | MONDAY FORECAST | Denver7 morning meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo says we'll have to endure the bitter cold Arctic air mass remains for one more day in Colorado with temperatures in Denver barely reaching above zero degrees, but wind chills were expected to be between 15 to 30 degrees below zero.
Light snow will continue in the metro area through the early afternoon hours. Read the latest forecast here.
Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.