Winter Storm — C & Se Park County, Colorado

2024-03-13 to 2024-03-14 · C & Se Park County, Colorado

Event narrative

Storm totals included: 36.5 inches near Guffey, 27.0 inches at Highland Park, with 20.0 inches near Antero Junction and Fairplay.

Wider weather episode

A powerful winter storm struck the Front Range of Colorado March 13th and 14th, 2024, producing extremely heavy snowfall, difficult if not impossible travel conditions, and scattered power outages. While precipitation started in the form of snow in the mountains and foothills on March 13, it started as rain across the I-25 Corridor and plains. That rain mixed with and changed to a heavy, wet snow across the Denver and Boulder metro areas during the late evening of the 13th. However, areas roughly along and east of a line from Fort Collins to Denver International Airport remained mostly rain or a rain snow mix until the early morning hours of March 14th. Some locations farther east like Greeley, Fort Morgan, and Limon didn't changeover until late on the 14th. Total precipitation amounts in those areas and farther east across the plains were also much lighter. While there was a slight lull in the storm and snowfall rates on the morning of the 14th, snowfall rates increased again during the afternoon and early evening hours. The snow then tapered off during the late evening and overnight hours, and ended in the early morning of the 15th.

Difficult to impossible travel conditions started in the foothills shortly after the onset of heavy snow on the 13th. I-70 was closed, and dozens of vehicles became stuck and/or were abandoned. A ski bus full of 50 women ran out of food and water after being stuck for 16 hours. The depth of snow became so great that travel became impossible on unplowed roads for even high clearance or four-wheel drive vehicles. Some residents in the foothills were trapped for days in their homes. Also, numerous tree limbs snapped under the weight of snow, leading to scattered power outages. An estimated 113,000 customers were without power at some point during the storm, and that was before trees had even begun to leaf out for the spring! An estimated 800 flights were cancelled at Denver International Airport leading up to the snow, although fortunately the heaviest accumulations and impacts stayed just west of the airport. Widespread school closures occurred on the 14th and 15th from the Denver metro area into the foothills.

Storm total snow accumulations in the feet were observed across the foothills and east facing slopes of the Front Range mountains. Most areas above 6,000 feet westward to the crest of the Front Range (Medicine Bow Range, Rocky Mountain National Park, Indian Peaks and Mosquito Range) saw at least two feet of snow, while most of the foothills from Estes Park southward through Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, and Jefferson Counties received in excess of three feet! A few spots saw from four to as much as five feet between Ward and Blackhawk, and also southeast of Idaho Springs (Beaver Brook neighborhood). The top five storm totals included: 61.5 inches in Aspen Springs, 61 inches, 5.4 miles northwest of Evergreen, 57.0 inches, 1 mile west of Aspen Springs, 54.4 inches near Rollinsville, and 53.7 inches, with 4.7 miles south-southeast of Idaho Springs. Colorado issued emergency disaster declarations for Clear Creek and Gilpin counties, due to the heavy amounts of snow, along with stranded motorists and residents. The main closures along Interstate 70 included: I-70 eastbound near Silver Plume, I-70 westbound in Georgetown, I-70 in both directions near Genesee, I-70 in both directions near Morrison, I-70 eastbound near East Frisco and Silverthorne, I-70 eastbound near Silverthorne and Loveland Pass. Nearly two dozen trucks were stuck along US 285, southwest of Denver, which resulted in its closure as well.

In the Denver metro area and Boulder, accumulations mostly ranged between 10 and 18 inches, with nearly two feet of snow from the southwestern sections of Boulder into the Golden area, extending southward through the far southern Denver suburbs into Douglas county and Castle Rock. There was a sharp gradient of snowfall to the east, with the far northeast sections of Denver - including DIA - receiving only 5 to 10 inches of snow. The official total at DIA was 5.7 inches. Similar amounts were seen farther north toward Firestone, Longmont, and the northeastern side of Fort Collins. At the National Weather Service Office in Boulder, 20.5 inches of snow was observed while only an inch or two of snow accumulated around Greeley, Fort Morgan, and Limon. On March 13th, 0.80 of rainfall was measured at Denver International Airport, which broke the daily record. The 2-day total, for March 13-14th, was 1.46 inches.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1156372. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.