Blizzard conditions closed Interstate 70 just east of Denver. (October 29, 2009)
DENVER - The sky was clear over metro Denver Friday morning, but cold and high winds remained from the storm that pounded the urban corridor for two days. As it pushed east, it brought blizzard conditions to the eastern plains. Major highways were shutdown, but most reopened by 10:00 a.m. Some schools were closed again Friday.
Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder on the west side of metro Denver was closed because of blowing snow and wind gusts of 60 miles per hour. See a video report from Greg Nieto in one of the video players below.
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The storm pushed out of Colorado and all warnings were dropped Friday morning.
The storm was the biggest October snowmaker in the Denver area since 1997, said Byron Louis, a weather service hydrologist in Boulder. It also broke records for total October snowfall in Wyoming.
"The track of this storm was more indicative of March and April heavy storm event," FOX 31 Chief Meteorologist Dave Fraser said. "A two day event of this magnitude is certainly an oddity for October and may be an indication of the winter to come, which is a scary thought."
18 inches fell in Boulder, 37" in Conifer, 23" in Parker, 16" in Aurora, 43" in Pinecliffe, and 16" in Castle Rock. Denver had received 14 inches of snow by Thursday evening with very little additional accumulation forecast.
Hundreds of schools in metro Denver stayed closed Thursday, but the University of Colorado in Boulder and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where 17.5 inches fell, reopened a day after sending students home early.
Many schools opted to close Friday as well. VIEW CURRENT CLOSINGS/DELAYS
Operations were expected to return to normal at Denver International Airport Friday, as air travelers coped with two days worth of flight cancellations and delays.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines canceled 44 flights in and out of DIA due to "ground blizzard" conditions. Other flights were delayed by up to four hours. United Airlines, the airport's dominant carrier with about 400 flights per day, canceled half its flights Thursday to prevent delays and cancelations from spilling over into Friday, spokesman Charlie Hobart said.
Airport spokesman Chuck Cannon said crews were using 174 pieces of snow-removal equipment to keep runways and taxiways clear as they dealt with severe wind gusts. The airport received at least 16 inches of snow with 5-foot snow drifts east of Denver, the weather service said.
"It drifts and it blows and it cuts visibility. It just creates problems and safety is the big issue." Cannon said. Travelers were urged to check flight status with their airlines before driving to DIA.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder on the west side of metro Denver was closed because of blowing snow and wind gusts of 60 miles per hour. See a video report from Greg Nieto in one of the video players below.
LIVE TRAFFIC CAMS & ALERTS
The storm pushed out of Colorado and all warnings were dropped Friday morning.
The storm was the biggest October snowmaker in the Denver area since 1997, said Byron Louis, a weather service hydrologist in Boulder. It also broke records for total October snowfall in Wyoming.
"The track of this storm was more indicative of March and April heavy storm event," FOX 31 Chief Meteorologist Dave Fraser said. "A two day event of this magnitude is certainly an oddity for October and may be an indication of the winter to come, which is a scary thought."
18 inches fell in Boulder, 37" in Conifer, 23" in Parker, 16" in Aurora, 43" in Pinecliffe, and 16" in Castle Rock. Denver had received 14 inches of snow by Thursday evening with very little additional accumulation forecast.
Hundreds of schools in metro Denver stayed closed Thursday, but the University of Colorado in Boulder and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where 17.5 inches fell, reopened a day after sending students home early.
Many schools opted to close Friday as well. VIEW CURRENT CLOSINGS/DELAYS
Operations were expected to return to normal at Denver International Airport Friday, as air travelers coped with two days worth of flight cancellations and delays.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines canceled 44 flights in and out of DIA due to "ground blizzard" conditions. Other flights were delayed by up to four hours. United Airlines, the airport's dominant carrier with about 400 flights per day, canceled half its flights Thursday to prevent delays and cancelations from spilling over into Friday, spokesman Charlie Hobart said.
Airport spokesman Chuck Cannon said crews were using 174 pieces of snow-removal equipment to keep runways and taxiways clear as they dealt with severe wind gusts. The airport received at least 16 inches of snow with 5-foot snow drifts east of Denver, the weather service said.
"It drifts and it blows and it cuts visibility. It just creates problems and safety is the big issue." Cannon said. Travelers were urged to check flight status with their airlines before driving to DIA.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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