Ice Storm — Grand Valley, Colorado

2017-01-09 · Grand Valley, Colorado

Event narrative

Freezing rain, up to a half inch thick, quickly accumulated on roads and other surfaces at the beginning of the morning commute. There were hundreds of vehicle accidents and many roads were closed due to crashed vehicles blocking those roads. There were numerous injuries to those who slipped and fell. In fact, emergency rooms at hospitals in the Grand Valley exceeded their daily admittance records with over 200 people treated for broken bones and other blunt force injuries. Schools were closed throughout the Grand Valley, and many businesses were negatively impacted by either not opening, opening late, or the lack of customers.

Wider weather episode

An abnormally mild Pacific storm system produced rainfall which fell into some western Colorado valleys where trapped air with temperatures below freezing resulted in the formation of freezing rain.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 676620. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.