Winter Storm — Phillips County, Colorado

2024-03-07 · Phillips County, Colorado

Event narrative

A storm total of 8.0 inches of snowfall in Haxtun and near Fairfield, with 5 inches near Holyoke.

Wider weather episode

A storm system produced a period of moderate to heavy snowfall over the northeast plains of Colorado, and impacted Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick and Washington counties. The heavy snow forced safety closures for portions of Interstate 76 and US-34 as the roadways became icy and snowpacked. Colorado State Patrol reported that multiple drivers had slid off the road in Washington County. Storm totals ranged from 5 to 8 inches. One observer measured 9.7 inches of snowfall near Fleming. In and near the Front Range Mountains and Foothills, storm totals ranged from 3 to 8 inches. Roads were icy and slick at times, with poor visibility from patchy dense fog and snow. On the morning of the 8th, black ice that formed from melting snow overnight lead to several spinouts and accidents. The hazardous road conditions forced the closure of State Highway 93 in Jefferson County, which impacted the morning commute from Golden to Boulder.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1155206. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.