DENVER — Denver snow totals continue to pile up even as accumulations were expected to take a brief break this morning before more heavy snow moves across the metro, but slushy conditions and snow packed roads continued to make for a rough commute Thursday morning.
Snow totals in Denver and across the Front Range and Foothills are expected to be in the double-digits as this storm is expected to be the biggest snowstorm Denver has seen in three years.
“It hasn’t stopped here in town, but it has lightened up a little,” said Denver7 Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo. “We’re going to continue to see pockets of heavy snow especially in the foothills, as you get west of Denver and down along the Palmer Divide.”
Denver7 news crews have reported multiple crashes, lanes that are difficult to recognize and semi trucks stuck on the interstate.“As you can imagine, road conditions are terrible to abysmal,” said Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber.
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The south metro has seen heavy snow dumping all morning.
It took Denver7 news crews about an hour to travel from the metro to Castle Rock as the snow continued to pile up Thursday morning. In the video player below is an early look at main street in Castle Rock where at least a foot of snow has piled up.
“The plows are everywhere. Given the extent of this storm, from the Wyoming line all the way down south, we’re hitting this thing hard,” said CDOT Communications Director Matthew Inzeo. “The intense areas really are on the west side of the metro areas, west of I-25 and as you get into the Foothills, we’re seeing some really extreme snowfall rates and those are some of the most impacted roads.”
Luber added travel on Monument hill “is really tough” and “southern Douglas County is really treacherous.”
Both directions of I-70 remain closed from Morrison to Silverthorne as is Berthoud Pass and Loveland Pass.
Over in Cheesman Park in Denver, the heavy weight of the snow has caused some branches to break off trees. Denver7 reporter Danielle Kreutter shared a look at the scene in the video below.
Meanwhile in Golden, Denver7 reporter Veronica Acosta stopped by a parking lot where the snow quickly piled up to more than a foot.
You can follow Jayson Luber's traffic updates here.
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