12/06/2025
So the long-anticipated winter storm is approaching us, and this is your reminder to plan ahead before you travel and, even better, plan to stay put until the storm clears and the roads have been plowed. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 11 p.m. tonight until 11 p.m. Saturday night. Heavy snow and blowing snow is expected. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 11 inches are predicted. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Snow and blowing snow may reduce visibility to a quarter mile or less. Near blizzard conditions are possible, especially Saturday morning. Travel will be very difficult to impossible, with road closures possible.
If you are heading out, make sure that you have survival gear in your vehicle -- including snow shovel, tow strap, tire chains, flares, additional warm clothing, some food and water, cell phone and charger, a good ice scraper. You could be stranded on closed roads for hours in the worst case, so you should be prepared for that possibility.
Please drive exceedingly cautiously. Travel at a safe speed, which will be much slower than on dry roads. Drive predictably. Use your turn signals. Accelerate and decelerate smoothly, avoiding abrupt moves. Give plenty of room to other vehicles. And if you pull over, make sure to get well out of the traffic lanes and use your emergency flashers.
And if you don't really need to head out in the first place, please just hunker down and wait it out. Between the Colorado Department of Transportation snow-plow operators and tow-truck drivers, getting roads open is faster if they don't have to weave around stationary vehicles.
