Welp, that happened.
It came; it saw; it conquered.
Colorado was hit hard with the "bomb cyclone" blizzard on Wednesday, and if we're being honest, we're still trying to recover from, well, whatever that was. Between highways being shut down, schools closing, flights getting canceled, countless power outages, and more, the storm hit us. And it hit us hard.
The bomb cyclone's been said to be the lowest barometric storm ever observed in Colorado.
So, to get you up to speed on the storm, we've put together an extensive list of the snow totals, highway and school closures, and much more. Basically, anything you could possibly want to know about the aftermath of the storm, you can find here. (You're welcome.)
Snow Totals
The snow totals from the storm can be found below, courtesy of the National Weather Service:
Arvada: 4 inches
Aurora: 10 inches
Boulder: 2 inches
Broomfield: 5 inches
Burdett: 3 inches
Castle Rock: 7 inches
Centennial: 7.5 inches
Conifer: 20 inches
Crested Butte: 6 inches
Denver International Airport: 7.1 inches
Downtown Denver: 5 inches
Durango: 2 inches
Eldorado Springs: 5.2 inches
Erie: 5 inches
Estes Park: 7 inches
Evergreen: 10.9 inches
Fairplay: 5 inches
Falcon: 8 inches
Federal Heights: 5.5 inches
Fort Collins: 5.7 inches
Fort Garland: 12 inches
Genesee: 16 inches
Greeley: 3.7 inches
Highlands Ranch: 6 inches
Iliff: 4.5 inches
Julesburg: 2.5 inches
Ken Caryl: 7 inches
Lakewood: 6 inches
Lone Tree: 8 inches
Louisville: 4.5 inches
Monument: 10 inches
Nederland: 20 inches
Ouray: 20 inches
Parker: 8 inches
Ponderosa Park: 7.5 inches
Red Feather Lakes: 16 inches
Steamboat Ski Resort: 10 inches
Thornton: 4.3 inches
Vail: 1.1 inches
Westminster: 5 inches
Highway Closures
Drivers were left stranded yesterday due to the heavy snowfall, and Colorado National Guard crews and other rescue teams braved the high winds to take those stranded to emergency shelters. 100 vehicles were involved in several crashes along a one-mile stretch of I-25, causing the interstate to shut down. In fact, major stretches of Interstates 25, 70, and 76 near Denver are still closed as crews work to clear them.
View the interstate closures below:
I-25
-
From Castle Rock to the Douglas-El Paso county line. It will be closed until Thursday afternoon, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. A stretch from RidgeGate Parkway in Lone Tree to Castle Rock reopened on Thursday morning at 8 a.m.
-
In both directions from Wellington to the Wyoming state line. Highways 85 and 287 are also closed near there, meaning there are no easy alternative routes.
I-70
- In both directions from Tower Road to the Kansas border.
- Several cars are still stranded on the sides of on I-70 and snowdrifts are several feet high in places. No estimated time for reopening of the interstate currently.
I-76
- In both directions from U.S. Highway 85 in Commerce City to the Nebraska state line.
School Closures
Most Denver metro area school districts are remaining closed on Thursday, as well. You can view the full list of closures here.
DIA Flights
DIA is back up and running, for the most part. Four runways are now open, but delays are still expected to occur. Crews worked overnight to clear snow off of the runways after more than 1,300 flights were canceled, and according to airport officials, planes won't be regularly departing from DIA until noon on Thursday.
Power Outages
As of Thursday morning, 84,000 customers are still without power, though, nearly 350,000 customers who lost service on Wednesday have since had their power restored. The bomb cyclone caused outages that lasted anywhere from minutes to hours.
"With the rain, snow and high winds yesterday, it was a combination of a storm and a statewide emergency where we had many poles broken — feeders that went out," said Xcel spokesperson Hollie Velasquez Horvath.
If you are still without power, report it to Xcel Energy. You can track outages on Xcel's outage map.
Well, what do you think? How did you fare through the storm? Sound off in the comments below.
