DENVER — Colorado airports and highways will be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week as a record number of people travel this holiday season. However, heavy mountain snow is expected to slow things significantly.
Here's what to expect this week.
◼️ Heavy mountain snow with significant travel impacts.
◼️ Rain switching to snow Tuesday night/Wednesday AM for lower elevations.
◼️ Slick roads likely Thanksgiving morning as wet roads freeze overnight.
A winter storm system is moving into Colorado, bringing heavy mountain snow with it. This system is expected to greatly impact travel, especially along the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor, with slick and snow-packed roads and closures Tuesday into Wednesday.
The National Weather Service advises avoiding non-essential mountain travel during this time.
A winter storm warning has been issued for the high country as the storm begins to impact the mountains and valleys through 5 p.m. Wednesday. Snow will be relatively persistent beginning Monday evening and lasting through Wednesday evening, with the heaviest snowfall occurring Tuesday.
Winter weather advisories will be issued for Denver, the Palmer Divide and southern foothills from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
Total accumulation from this system is expected to be around 10 to 20 inches in the mountains, with the heaviest snow falling in elevations about 9,500 feet. In the Denver metro area, rain will switch to snow Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, with up to five inches of snow expected to fall by Wednesday afternoon, depending on the strength of the storm overnight. Total accumulation for the Palmer Divide and southern foothills is expected to be between 4-8 inches of snow.
The heaviest snow in the high country will fall Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday night, while those in the Denver metro area as well as the Palmer Divide and eastern plains should expect that rain-to-snow transition to occur midnight Tuesday night.
The snow will move out early Thursday morning, with mostly dry but chilly conditions in the metro area. Denver temperatures will be in the 30s on Thanksgiving Day.
The weekend forecast is mostly dry and sunny, with cool temperatures staying. The mountains may see scattered snow showers, but we’ll be in for a quiet stretch after the midweek storm.
Weather in other parts of the country is not looking so good.
The Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday and the East Coast will be the most impacted on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service office in Sacramento, California, issued a winter storm warning for the state's Sierra Nevada for Saturday through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph. Total snowfall of roughly 4 feet was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations expected Monday and Tuesday.
◼️ Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the worst times to travel by car.
◼️ CDOT warns drivers about increased DUI enforcement.
AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and the following Monday, most of them by car. However, snow in Colorado’s high country Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning will likely slow things down considerably.
Snowfall is expected to impact travel along the I-70 Mountain Corridor during this period, with light snow and minimal accumulation expected along the Interstate 25 Corridor.
Road impacts across Colorado mountain passes are expected to start Tuesday through Wednesday night, NWS officials said, with some slick travel conditions for the lower elevations possible Wednesday afternoon.
If the snow ends earlier than Wednesday afternoon, "roads could become drier with minimal refreezing," weather service officials said, but if snowfall persists past that time frame, "refreezing on area roads is expected after dark on Wednesday as temperatures drop below freezing."
The Colorado Department of Transportation will sometimes enforce traction or chain laws during periods of heavy snow, and they are advising travelers to check their tires before leaving. Worn tires can't grip the road well, which can turn into a potentially dangerous experience. A good test to see if you need new tires requires just a single quarter.
CDOT also warns drivers about increased DUI enforcement during the busy holiday rush. From now to Dec. 4, the Colorado State Patrol and 75 local law enforcement agencies will be out in force during a Thanksgiving Heat is On campaign, with sobriety checkpoints and additional law enforcement officers on duty.
According to CDOT, between 2020 and 2023, Thanksgiving had the second-highest average of roadway fatalities in Colorado during a holiday period. Additionally, Thanksgiving ranks third-highest for impaired driving-related fatalities during holidays over this same time frame.
Drivers should also be aware that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the worst times to travel by car, but it should be smooth sailing on freeways come Thanksgiving Day, according to transportation analytics company INRIX.
On the return home, the best travel times for motorists are before 1 p.m. on Sunday, and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Monday, the company said.
In Colorado, AAA said the worst congestion is expected to be on southbound I-25 from Fort Collins to Denver on Friday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. At that time, travel times are predicted to be up 44% compared to the typical day.
◼️ DIA anticipates more than 844,000 passengers during travel period.
◼️ Get to the airport two hours before your boarding time.
Officials with Denver International Airport said they anticipate more than 844,033 passengers between now and Monday, Dec. 2. That is a 7.5% increase compared to last year's travel period.
According to DIA, the busiest travel days will be Nov. 22, Nov. 30, and Dec. 1. More than 266,000 passengers are expected to move through TSA security checkpoints, and the airport said Dec. 1 is expected to be the busiest day, with more than 90,000 passengers.
If you're planning on traveling during this busy holiday period, you're encouraged to get to the airport two hours before your boarding time, especially during peak times, which are 3 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
As of Monday afternoon, only 23 flights have been delayed out of DIA, according to FlightAware. On the East Coast, 44 fights have been canceled and nearly 1,900 were delayed by midday.
According to the organization’s MiseryMap, San Francisco International Airport is having the most hiccups right now, with 53 delays and three cancellations between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST.
While that might sound like a lot of delays, they might not be so bad compared to last Friday when the airport suffered 671 delays and 69 cancellations.
Tips to make holiday travel a bit easier
Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves.
Here are a few ways to make your holiday journey a little less stressful:
- Make a checklist of what you need to do and what you need to bring
- Carry your comfort with you — think noise-canceling headphones, cozy clothes, snacks and extra medication
- Stay hydrated
- Keep up to date on delays, gate changes and cancellations with your airline’s app
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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