Winter Storm in Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet, Colorado

Trained spotter reports and cocorahs reports show estimated 18 to 34 inches of snow fell. The heavier reports were in the Estes Park area with 17 to 31 inches reported. Photos showed snow covered roads and weighed down trees.

Rain and mountain snow showers moved across eastern Colorado during the afternoon and evening of May 4th. Widespread snow then formed over the mountains and northern foothills during the early morning hours of May 5th and continued for most of the day. Across the lower elevations (below 6000 feet), precipitation type was mainly rain through the morning of the 5th and slowly began to turn over to snow during the afternoon. Snow then continued through the night of the 5th and early morning hours of the 6th. The heaviest snow occurred across the foothills and mountains of Boulder and Larimer Counties where 18 to 36 inches of snow fell. Areas west of I-25 to the base of the foothills received 4 to 12 inches, heaviest near the foothills. Main impact was broken tree branches on deciduous trees, some of which fell on powerlines leading to sparse power outages. Power outages topped 50,000 overnight the 5th and early morning the 6th. Denver International Airport (DIA) had over 700 flight delays and 40 cancellations for May 5th and May 6th. Numerous schools were closed on May 6th.