Posted on 05/01/2008 3:21:46 PM PDT by goldstategop
A heavy spring snowstorm moved across Colorado on May Day and was expected to dump up to 16 inches of snow in the high country.
Wintry weather was blamed for a rash of minor accidents that closed westbound Interstate 70 for about 90 minutes just west of Denver on Thursday.
"There's a lot of slide-offs, fender-bender types," State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said. "There's nothing like serious injuries or anything, but it caused the road to be closed."
Watkins said up to 40 cars were involved in minor accidents on U.S. 36 near Lyons, 30 miles northwest of Denver. No injuries have been reported there.
The storm dropped up to 5 inches in Douglas County and Boulder County received more than 3 inches.
Loveland ski area, one of about three Colorado resorts still open, reported 6 inches.
The National Weather Service said 8 to 16 inches of snow could fall in the northern mountains. Up to 11 inches was forecast for the central mountains.
"Don't be fooled by the date," forecasters said in a heavy snow warning.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference officials canceled the opening day of their 2008 softball tournament in Golden.
In the mountains, snow prompted authorities to require chains on commercial vehicles on more than a half-dozen mountain passes.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for high fire danger in the southeast corner of the state. Baca County banned open fires because of dry, windy conditions.
Rain and snow is likely in the Denver area Thursday with chances continuing through the evening. Winds will be out of the north at 10 to 20 mph with highs in the upper 40s. Little or no snow accumulation is expected in the urban corridor.
The moisture will come to an end overnight with cloudy skies and lows around 30.
Friday will bring some partly sunny skies to Denver with a slight chance of early precipitation and highs in the low to mid 40s.
What's unusual is when it doesn't snow during the month of May in Colorado.
It snowed last week in Grants Pass, Oregon!
They closed I-5 for an hour...
Unheard of!
Ed
I’m on the western slope. We had snow today, unheard of. Everyone is talking flood.
Here in Colorado, we typically get a lot of snow in the spring. Mainly in March and April. Less often in May.
However, crews plowing snow over Independence Pass, which is in the central-west part of the state, said the snow there is the deepest they've seen in 25 years.
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