Storm goes east after dumping on Colorado

DENVER — A stretch of Interstate 70 reopened Saturday morning, after near-zero visibility had forced officials to close all 160 miles of the westbound lanes between the Kansas state line and metro Denver and a 70-mile stretch of eastbound lanes from metro Denver to the plains town of Limon.

The most powerful storm of the winter season pounded Colorado with up to 6 feet of snow in the Rocky Mountain foothills and forced the cancellation of more than 600 flights in Denver before heading east toward the central plains Saturday. The airport wasn’t reporting any cancellations Saturday.

Blizzard conditions that hit the eastern Colorado plains, including 5-foot drifts in parts of Elbert County, began easing.

Light snow was falling intermittently in the Denver area early Saturday, but the bulk of the storm was moving out of the state, forecasters said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Koopmeiners said all winter storm warnings have expired in Colorado, but the several counties in the state’s eastern plains remain under a blowing snow advisory.

However, a winter storm warning was issued for parts of western Nebraska and northeastern Kansas and into southwestern Iowa.

A band of heavy snow stalled over Nebraska, dumping nearly 13 inches in some spots.

Agate, a small town on the closed section of I-70, reported more than 2 feet of snow by Friday night and winds gusting to 25 mph. Other towns in eastern Colorado reported more than a foot of snow and similar wind speeds.

The snow was a welcome boost to several ski resorts that have suffered below-average snowfall this season. But while Echo Mountain near Denver celebrated 55 inches of new snow from the storm, the storm only dusted larger resorts, such as Vail, with a few inches in the central Colorado mountains.

“It’s been fantastic,” said Scott Gales, a spokesman for Echo Mountain about 25 miles west of Denver. Skiers and snowboarders had to wait until the afternoon to get to the snow Saturday at Echo because of a previously scheduled extreme obstacle course Snow Dash in the morning.

“It’s made it just a bit more of a challenge, but what’s a snow dash without some snow,” Gales said.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued warnings for slopes east of the Continental Divide until noon Saturday, saying 2 feet or more of new snow could easily overrun the weak, existing snow pack.

Most travelers apparently heeded storm and blizzard warnings. A few trucks were involved in crashes — none serious — on I-70, and Denver traffic was relatively smooth on Friday, said Gene Towne of the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“The accident situation hasn’t really been that bad except the usual fender-benders we have during the evening commute,” Towne said.

The storm had caused some 600 flights to be canceled at Denver International Airport, which averages 1,700 flights daily. Southwest Airlines, a key carrier at the airport, cancelled all of its flights for most of the day but resumed them late Friday.

Koopmeiners said snowfall across the Denver area ranged from 14-20 inches. Nearly four feet covered the Pinecliffe area, while there was 18 inches near Boulder and 14 inches in the capital city itself.

For many ranchers in drought-stressed eastern Colorado, the storm brought much-needed relief.

“Basically, this storm is going to be a real blessing because of the moisture,” said Scott Johnson, who owns the Flying Diamond ranch near Kit Carson, about 130 miles southeast of Denver.

The Flying Diamond got 3 to 4 inches of snow, which was preceded by rain. Some of Johnson’s other ranchland got a foot of snow.

Other ranchers’ cattle were giving birth as the storm hit.

“Anything that was calving we moved in the barn,” said Skylar Houston, a partner at the Aristocrat Angus Ranch about 35 miles north of Denver. Ranch hands had to feed other cattle because they couldn’t graze through 6-inch snow, Houston said.

In Alaska, transportation officials urging motorists in the state’s largest city to stay home over the weekend if they can so roads can be cleared as another winter storm blasted Anchorage.

The city was expected to get 6 to 10 inches of snow, with up to 15 inches on the city’s upper hillside, said Dan Peterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Anchorage.

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