Blizzard — Eastern Adams and Eastern Arapahoe Counties, Colorado

2001-04-22 · Eastern Adams and Eastern Arapahoe Counties, Colorado

Wider weather episode

As the storm moved into eastern Colorado, blizzard conditions developed across portions of the Northeast Plains. Although the winds were not as intense as the storm 11 days earlier; whiteout conditions did occur. Sustained winds 20 to 35 mph were recorded with some stronger gusts to 50 mph. Blowing snow caused numerous accidents and some road closures including: Interstate 25, from Wellington to the Wyoming state line, U.S. Highway 287, from Ted's Place to the Wyoming state line and U.S. Highway 85, from Ault to the Wyoming state line. More power outages shut down Denver International Airport for nearly an hour. The outages affected lighting in the concourses, train operations, deicing and refueling operations, flight information displays and security screenings. Navigational aids were also affected. As a result, 58 arriving and departing flights were canceled, stranding approximately 5,000 passengers.Along the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains storm totals included: 9 inches at Eldorado Springs, 8 inches at Fleming, 7 inches at Boulder and LaSalle, 6 inches at Deer Trail, Greeley, Ken Caryl, Northglenn and 5 miles west southwest of Sedalia, with 5 inches at Arvada, Morrison, Otis and Padroni. Elsewhere, snow amounts generally ranged from 2 to 4 inches.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5238179. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.