Snowfall totals above average for early November; big storm moves out Saturday
The Pikes Peak region saw a snowy start to November with accumulations soaring much higher than what is typical for this point in the month.
The storm, which started dumping snow across the state Tuesday night, and prompted Gov. Jared Polis to declare a disaster emergency late Thursday evening, is expected to wrap up Saturday morning.
Friday’s snowfall caused chaos across the state, especially in the evening, when winds caused visibility to be reduced to a quarter-mile or less in some areas.
Many major interstate and state highways shut down amid the “rapidly deteriorating” conditions. Commercial motor vehicles were not allowed on southbound I-25 south of Exit 194 after 4 p.m. due to lack of parking and resources between the Denver area and Colorado Springs.
Interstate 25 in both directions from south Castle Rock to Colorado Springs also shut down to commercial motor vehicles and towed vehicles between 4 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. I-25 southbound from Pueblo to the New Mexico state line was closed all day Friday.
Students in the Pikes Peak region racked up the snow days this week, with many school districts cancelling classes for a third day on Friday. While roads appeared mostly clear in the early morning, by the afternoon, visibility and overall conditions worsened.
Colorado Springs Airport reported 43 cancellations as of 6 p.m. Friday, according to media spokesperson Aidan Ryan. FlightAware shows there were 19 delays. The numbers reflect total impacts to both outbound and inbound flights.
There were 495 flights canceled and 948 flights delayed at Denver International Airport on Friday, according to FlightAware
Impact on drought conditions
Snowfall and water equivalent totals in Colorado Springs were much higher than what the National Weather Service in Pueblo typically records for the first week of November. Through the first eight days of November, Colorado Springs usually only receives 0.12 inches of water equivalent. As of 5:30 p.m. on Friday, the office was measuring 1.3 inches for that period.
In terms of snowfall, average measurements typically show 1.1 inches. The all-time November record for the city was recorded in 1991, when the Colorado Springs Airport received a record 26.3 inches of snow in November.
The south Colorado Springs area came close, receiving 24.5 inches by Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Outside of Colorado Springs, more than two feet of snow was reported in both Black Forest and Peyton, with those areas receiving 27.9 inches, and 27 inches, respectively.
Other areas in southern Colorado also exceeded some records. The Arkansas River Valley’s record for the day of water equivalent is 0.25, and Rodriguez said the area “at least doubled that amount so far” at 5:30 p.m. Friday, with snow still falling.
Meteorologist Stephen Rodriguez told The Gazette this kind of weather pattern is not “abnormal.”
” While the numbers are high — and I wouldn’t say this is abnormal — we see systems like this come through in November and October and in September,” Rodriguez said. “It just so happened that over the last several days, we’ve seen repeated rounds of snowfall that allowed the snowfall to total to accumulate to these values.”
Even with all the snowfall, it is too soon to tell what the impact will be on the drought conditions in Pueblo and Teller counties, where there is a moderate drought, and toward the Kansas border, where conditions are more severe.
“In terms of what this will mean right now, we can’t really speak to that,” Rodriguez said. “Given the amount of water that we’ve seen with this storm, it would only help to improve the drought conditions.”
A look ahead
The snow was expected to end by 8 a.m. Saturday in Colorado Springs, holding out a little longer in Monument, where it should taper off at about 11 a.m.
Saturday will only see varying glimpses of the sun the city has not seen in days, with clouds forecast for most of the day.
The snow will start to melt as temperatures begin to rise, although not back to average, which is around the mid-50s. Temperatures on Saturday will only reach the low 40s, according to KOAA meteorologist Alex O’Brien. Sunday will be sunnier and in the upper 40s to low 50s.
O’Brien warns that, as the snow starts to melt over the next few days, expect refreezing on roads overnight, which can lead to slick conditions.
Next week is looking drier, with closer to normal temperatures Monday through Wednesday and no additional snow.
