DENVER — Winter returns in a big way to Colorado as heavy accumulations of up to 2 feet is possible in the mountains bringing potentially dangerous driving conditions. Winter storm warning are in effect in the High Country.
The Denver metro and I-25 corridor, including Colorado's northeastern plains, are under critical fire weather conditions Tuesday.
Denver7's Maggy Wolanske headed to the mountains to talk about what the incoming snow means for mountain communities. Watch here:
The Denver7 news team is tracking the latest weather impacts and alerts in the Colorado weather blog below. Refresh this page for updates.
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Tuesday, February 17
4:54 p.m. | DIA delays and cancellations | There are 1,031 flights delayed in and out of Denver International Airport, with a total of 86 flights canceled, according to FlightAware.
4:35 p.m. | Snow squalls to impact Highway 287 | A quick burst of heavier snow will impact Highway 287 northwest of Fort Collins to the Wyoming border through 5:15 pm, according to the NWS. That same band of heavier snow is also moving through Jackson and far northern Grand Counties, including Walden, they added.
Here’s what to do if you encounter a snow squall on the roads, according to the NWS.
4:03 p.m. | NWS update | Prolonged periods of snowfall/blowing snow in the mountains will persist through Thursday morning, and there's still concerns that stronger winds and heavier snowfall will bring snow squalls to the central mountains of Colorado through Wednesday night, according to the NWS.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, weather officials said a winter storm warning will remain in effect through 5 a.m. Thursday in the Park Range mountains due to an additional 8-12" of snow expected for the area. A winter weather advisory remains in effect for the Front Range and I-70 Mountains and Valleys through 11 p.m. Wednesday due to an additional 3-8" of snow with wind gusts reaching between 50-70 mph.
Critical weather conditions will decrease after 5 p.m. as winds die down, but the westerly winds will continue throughout the rest of the day with gusts up to 45 mph still possible.
A red flag warning also remains in effect through 7 p.m. Tuesday for all of Colorado's Eastern Plains below 6,000 feet.
3:15 p.m. | Eastern Plains wildfires | Multiple wind-whipped wildfires on Colorado’s Eastern Plains have prompted evacuation orders as they scorch hundreds of acres on Tuesday.
Read more about them here:
Wildfire
Wind-driven wildfires trigger evacs, char thousands of acres on Eastern Plains
2:15 p.m. | Road closure | CO 71 southbound is closed one mile south of Limon at County Road 3C, mile point 97.8, due to fire activity, according to CDOT. Expect delays.
1:57 p.m. | DIA delays and cancellations | There are 846 flights delayed in and out of Denver International Airport today, according to FlightAware. Fifty-one flights have been canceled.
1:56 p.m. | Power outages | There are 212 Xcel energy customers affected by an unplanned power outage in the Boulder County that began this morning, according to the utility's outage map. Estimated time for restoration is 3:30 p.m.
1:46 p.m. | Power outages | There are 1,921 Xcel energy customers affected by unplanned power outages in Larimer and Weld counties that began this morning, according to the utility's outage map. Estimated time for restoration is 2 p.m.
1:38 p.m. | Hot spots | There is a hot spot east of Matheson in Elbert County and another southeast of Roggen in Weld County, according to NWS Boulder.
10:36 a.m. | Blowing dust warning | Eastern Colorado is under a Blowing Dust Warning, according to Colorado Emergency Management.
9:59 a.m. | Power outages| There are approximately 580 Poudre Valley REA customers impacted by a power outage in the Windosr and Johnstown areas, according to the utility company. Customers can find more information and alerts here.
Poudre Valley REA suspended all construction and maintenance work within part of its service territory between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday due to a Red Flag Warning for the area.
9:50 a.m. | Power outages | There are 4,130 Xcel Energy customers affected by a power outage in the Boulder area, according to the utility's outage map. The estimated time for restoration is 10:45 a.m.
9 a.m. | Power outages | Black Hills Energy issued an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) due to the hazardous wind gusts and extremely dry conditions, creating dangerous fire conditions Tuesday. It impacts isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County and Pueblo County.
The towns of Cripple Creek, Victor and Westcliff are on a PSPS Watch. Black Hills said crews would proactively de-energize power lines in the watch areas midday, which could last for an extended period of time.
8:16 a.m. | Monarch Mountain closure | Due to high winds, Monarch Mountain said it would suspend operations for the day and monitor the storm passing through Colorado Tuesday closely.
7:38 a.m. | DIA delays | There are 444 flights delayed in and out of Denver International Airport Tuesday morning, according to FlightAware. Only two flights are canceled.
7:30 a.m. | Preparing for high fire danger | As the High Country is blanketed by much-needed snow, a reminder that the northeastern part of Colorado is under a high fire danger through Tuesday — which includes the Foothills, plains and Denver metro area.
A red flag warning goes into effect at 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. You can read the alert here.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said its Emergency Operations Center is open today and the department's Wildland Fire crews have been deployed across the county to react to any fire that pops up Tuesday.
Arapahoe County is under a Stage 2 Burn Ban.
7:05 a.m. | Power restored in Fort Collins | The Poudre Valley REA says power has been restored to around 2,200 customers in the Fort Collins area.
6:45 a.m. | Tracking wind gusts | As the mountains get hammered with heavy, blowing snow — we're also tracking high wind gusts on the Front Range and eastern plains. Early this morning, gusts up to 20 mph were reported in the Denver metro area as speeds will pick up across eastern Colorado today — which will fuel a high fire danger.
6:35 a.m. | Fort Collins power outage | The Poudre Valley REA says around 2,200 customers are impacted by a power outage this morning. The utility said it hoped to have power restored soon.
"Crews will attempt rerouting power to get everone back on. This allows us to bypass an issue or damaged piece of equipment, restoring service to members while we idenify, isolate, and repair the cause of the outage," wrote Poudre Valley REA.
6:30 a.m. | Snow picking up in the High Country | We're tracking potentially dangerous driving conditions in the mountains as blowing snow and whiteout conditions are a concern Tuesday. Over the last hour, snow has picked up near the Eisenhower Tunnel where Denver7 reporter Sophia Villalba is monitoring conditions on I-70.
6:15 a.m. | Monitoring I-70 | NWS forecasters in Boulder said conditions along I-70 through the High Country will "rapidly deteriorate" after 6 a.m. as snow picks up this morning. You can check the latest winter weather alerts here.
6:05 a.m. | Snow squalls a concern in the mountains | Snow squalls, which the NWS said typically last less than 3 hours, can quickly reduce visibility and bring a “potential for chain-reaction accidents.”
Here’s what to do if you encounter a snow squall on the roads, according to the NWS.
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