Colorado Winter Storm Update: Nearly 1,3000 Sunday flights canceled at DIA; Red

On Mar 14, 2021

Stay with this story for updates on Colorado weather Saturday:

The Storm: Snow began falling across the Front Range just before 10 a.m. Saturday and forecasters expect snow to stick around through Sunday. The heaviest snow is expected to hit from Boulder to southern Wyoming, with predictions ranging from a foot to more than two feet in the hardest-hit areas.

8:45 p.m.: Denver International Airport is seeing moderate to heavy snowfall, airport officials said in an 8:30 p.m. statement. There are nearly 1,300 flight cancelations for Sunday; United, Southwest and Frontier have canceled a majority of flights tomorrow, they added.

7:15 p.m.: Another wave of wet, heavy snow is expected Saturday night into Sunday, bringing an anticipated 5-10 inches of snow to Colorado Springs and 10-18 inches to Monument, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo. Gusty winds of 15-30 mph would result in near white-out conditions over the Palmer Divide on Sunday, the agency added.

Another round of heavy wet snow will spread across south central and southeast Colorado through the evening and overnight hours, with snow continuing through Sunday night for areas over and near the higher terrain, especially in the Pikes Peak region. #cowx pic.twitter.com/QQdzUDdduj

— NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) March 13, 2021

6:30 p.m. The National Weather Service in Pueblo has received a report of a thunderstorm near Calhan in El Paso County, it tweeted.

5:30 p.m.: The Red Cross activated three warming shelters — at Kilmer Elementary in Colorado Springs, St. Peter Catholic Church in Monument and Patriot Learning Center in Peyton — the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management announced Saturday afternoon.

El Paso County remains in a winter storm warning, set to expire Sunday at midnight.

5 p.m.: The first wave of a weekend winter storm left behind 2-3 inches of snow in the greater Colorado Springs area early Saturday and canceled hundreds of flights throughout the Front Range, as residents braced for a heavy second wave expected to hit late Saturday into Sunday.

Some areas north of Colorado Springs could receive up to 3 inches an hour, said meteorologist Brad Carlberg of the National Weather Service office in Pueblo on Saturday.

Sunday morning was expected to bring heavy snowfall near the Palmer Divide, but winds were expected to turn to the north, which may reduce moisture received in the Colorado Springs area, Carlberg said.

“How much snow actually hits Colorado Springs proper on Sunday remains to be seen,” he said.

3 p.m.: The center of a low pressure system that will fuel additional snow is currently over the Four Corners region and should push into Colorado late Saturday into Sunday, bringing with it increased snow. “Heavier snow will return,” the National Weather Service in Boulder cautioned via tweet.

2 p.m.: Drier air is moving into the Denver metro, slightly decreasing snowfall across the area, the National Weather Service in Boulder tweeted. However, more intense snow will resume in a few hours and last into Sunday, it cautioned.

1:30 p.m.: Heavy snowfall is expected to begin accumulating at Denver International Airport this afternoon, with an inch to an inch and a half of snow per hour expected during the afternoon and evening hours, according to a Saturday afternoon update from the airport. Total snow accumulation at the airport should range between 15 and nearly 30 inches.

So far nearly 750 flights out of DIA have been canceled Saturday, with few scheduled flights remaining to depart Denver today. Airlines have already canceled more than 1,000 Sunday flights at the airport, according to airport officials.

1:15 p.m.: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Denver, per Marshall Zelinger of Gazette news partner 9NEWS.

I didn’t even need slow motion for the snow globe effect. #cowx pic.twitter.com/CE4cJoSwQ1

— Marshall Zelinger (@Marshall9News) March 13, 2021

1:10 p.m.: The first wave of snow in Colorado Springs left about two inches, but the second wave will be heavier, with some spots receiving up to 3 inches an hour, according to meteorologist Brad Carlberg with the National Weather Service in Pueblo, per our O’Dell Isaac.

Most flights have been canceled at the Colorado Springs Airport, spokeswoman Aidan Ryan advised. The airport advises travelers to check their flight status ahead of time.

1 p.m.: A heavier band of snow is moving across downtown Denver, causing visibility to dip to less than a mile, in addition to slushy roads. “Slow down and create extra space,” the National Weather Service in Boulder tweeted.

Meanwhile, “if you don’t have to drive, don’t,” the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is advising on Twitter. If you must hit the roads, be sure to bring along a jacket, blanket, water, matches, food, flashlight, first aid kit and extra batteries for the flashlight,…