Colorado digs out from massive snowstorm that caused outages, collapsed roofs

By: Robert Garrison

Residents at the Jasmine Condominiums in Denver are assessing the damages to their cars, after a carport collapsed under the heavy weight of snow from the recent storms.

DENVER—After nearly a week of what felt like nonstop snowfall, the Denver metro area woke up Saturday to the sights and sounds of snow shovels and plows scraping the pavement as the slow-moving storm began to move out of Colorado.

The system that slowly pushed its way through the state earlier this week dumped more than 19 inches of snow in parts of Denver over the past three days, according to the National Weather Service. The southeast area of the state was the hardest hit, with more than 4 feet recorded in the San Isabel area in the past 72 hours.

❄️✨96-Hours snowfall totals are in! Areas such as Lincoln and Elbert counties received historical snowfall over the time period between November 5-9th. To view more totals, check out our list on the URL: https://t.co/E4mXlwHjMF pic.twitter.com/mrkNAzFDqR
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) November 9, 2024

Interstate travel reached a standstill after major portions of Interstate 70 and Interstate 25 were shut down due to poor conditions. Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency and activated members of the Colorado National Guard as several drivers became stranded on the Eastern Plains.

Both I-25 and I-70 have since reopened, but hundreds of miles of highways remain closed in the eastern part of the state as of Saturday morning, according to the Colorado Department of Transpiration.

The Colorado Office of Emergency Management said crews have went on a total 22 search and rescue missions on the Eastern Plains, bringing stranded drivers to safety. They said rescue and recovery efforts will continue Saturday.

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Road conditions around the Denver metro area are slowly improving.

Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) wrote, "Denver's big plows and residential plows are out this morning," as many roads picked up more snow and slush overnight.

In other parts of the city, fallen tree limbs and collapsed roofs have been reported.

A Denver7 viewer shared photos Saturday morning of a carport roof at the Jasmine Condominiums that collapsed from the weight of the snow. The extent of the damage is unknown.

'I heard a big boom:' Snowstorms cause carport collapse at Denver condominium complex

"I heard a big boom," said Nell Narowski, a resident at the complex.

Narowski's black Dodge was one of eight cars under the carport when it collapsed. Her car suffered a cracked windshield, and she's waiting to see the remainder of the damages. When Denver7 arrived on scene, the vehicles were still under the wreckage.

“I have no idea how in the heck we're going to get it out of there," said Narowski.

Several residents told Denver7 that the building managers said they would remove the snow from other carports as a precaution. Cleanup crews were out Saturday morning, clearing out the snow.

roof collapse.png — Carport roof collapse in Denver.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are in the dark after the epic storm knocked down power lines and tree limbs.

Xcel Energy said there were approximately 17,600 customers without power as of Saturday morning. The utility company said crews will typically focus first on repairs that will restore power for the largest number of customers. After that, crews will move to the neighborhood level, before handling individual customer outages.

Xcel Energy said many customers will be back online Saturday night, with full restoration expected by Sunday night.

CORE Electric Cooperative said around 200 members lost service during the winter storm, with most restored in a few hours. The utility said melting snow and ice could cause further service disruptions on Saturday.

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As exciting as fresh powder can be, experts say it's important to be aware of possible danger in the coming days for those venturing into backcountry ski areas. The most significant effect in the Northern Mountains will be felt from Rocky Mountain National National Park to Berthoud Pass.

“As we start getting more snow, we see the avalanche danger increasing,” said Ethan Greene, the director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The snow is expected to diminish on the plains through this morning. A winter storm warning is in effect for the Eastern Plains and continues through early Saturday.

A winter weather advisory remains in place through noon Saturday for portions of Weld and Morgan Counties, including Briggsdale, Greeley, and Fort Morgan. A couple more inches of snow are possible.

After Saturday’s temperature of 37 degrees, Sunday in Denver will bring sunny skies and a high of 52 degrees. Denver’s 7-day outlook shows a warmer, drier weather pattern with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s through next weekend.

Because of its prolonged nature, this storm will likely be the largest the Denver metro has seen in November in nearly 30 years. The last major November storm was a two-day event on November 13-14, 1994. Officially, 12.1 inches of snowfall stacked up at Stapleton Airport, with 16.9 inches of snow overall that month.

Denver snow wraps up Saturday, warmer temps and sunshine ahead over next 7 days