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DENVER – Winter returns in a big way to Colorado as heavy accumulations of up to 2 feet is possible in the mountains bringing potentially dangerous driving conditions. Winter storm warning are in effect in the High Country.
The Denver metro and I-25 corridor, including Colorado’s northeastern plains, are under critical fire weather conditions Tuesday.
The Denver7 news team is tracking the latest weather impacts and alerts in the Colorado weather blog below. Refresh this page for updates.
LINKS: Closings and Delays | Latest forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Tuesday, February 17
10:36 a.m. | Blowing dust warning | Eastern Colorado is under a Blowing Dust Warning, according to Colorado Emergency Management.
9:59 a.m. | Power outages| There are approximately 580 Poudre Valley REA customers impacted by a power outage in the Windosr and Johnstown areas, according to the utility company. Customers can find more information and alerts here.
Poudre Valley REA suspended all construction and maintenance work within part of its service territory between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday due to a Red Flag Warning for the area.
9:50 a.m. | Power outages | There are 4,130 Xcel Energy customers affected by a power outage in the Boulder area, according to the utility’s outage map. The estimated time for restoration is 10:45 a.m.
Xcel Energy
9 a.m. | Power outages | Black Hills Energy issued an Emergency Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) due to the hazardous wind gusts and extremely dry conditions, creating dangerous fire conditions Tuesday. It impacts isolated portions of Crowley County, Fremont County, Otero County and Pueblo County.
The towns of Cripple Creek, Victor and Westcliff are on a PSPS Watch. Black Hills said crews would proactively de-energize power lines in the watch areas midday, which could last for an extended period of time.
8:16 a.m. | Monarch Mountain closure | Due to high winds, Monarch Mountain said it would suspend operations for the day and monitor the storm passing through Colorado Tuesday closely.
7:38 a.m. | DIA delays | There are 444 flights delayed in and out of Denver International Airport Tuesday morning, according to FlightAware. Only two flights are canceled.
7:30 a.m. | Preparing for high fire danger | As the High Country is blanketed by much-needed snow, a reminder that the northeastern part of Colorado is under a high fire danger through Tuesday — which includes the Foothills, plains and Denver metro area.
A red flag warning goes into effect at 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. You can read the alert here.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said its Emergency Operations Center is open today and the department’s Wildland Fire crews have been deployed across the county to react to any fire that pops up Tuesday.
Arapahoe County is under a Stage 2 Burn Ban.
NWS Boulder
7:05 a.m. | Power restored in Fort Collins | The Poudre Valley REA says power has been restored to around 2,200 customers in the Fort Collins area.
6:45 a.m. | Tracking wind gusts | As the mountains get hammered with heavy, blowing snow — we’re also tracking high wind gusts on the Front Range and eastern plains. Early this morning, gusts up to 20 mph were reported in the Denver metro area as speeds will pick up across eastern Colorado today — which will fuel a high fire danger.
Denver7
6:35 a.m. | Fort Collins power outage | The Poudre Valley REA says around 2,200 customers are impacted by a power outage this morning. The utility said it hoped to have power restored soon.
“Crews will attempt rerouting power to get everone back on. This allows us to bypass an issue or damaged piece of equipment, restoring service to members while we idenify, isolate, and repair the cause of the outage,” wrote Poudre Valley REA.
6:30 a.m. | Snow picking up in the High Country | We’re tracking potentially dangerous driving conditions in the mountains as blowing snow and whiteout conditions are a concern Tuesday. Over the last hour, snow has picked up near the Eisenhower Tunnel where Denver7 reporter Sophia Villalba is monitoring conditions on I-70.
An early look at snowy conditions on I-70 at the Eisenhower Tunnel
6:15 a.m. | Monitoring I-70 | NWS forecasters in Boulder said conditions along I-70 through the High Country will “rapidly deteriorate” after 6 a.m. as snow picks up this morning. You can check the latest winter weather alerts here.
6:05 a.m. | Snow squalls a concern in the mountains | Snow squalls, which the NWS said typically last less than 3 hours, can quickly reduce visibility and bring a “potential for chain-reaction accidents.”
Here’s what to do if you encounter a snow squall on the roads, according to the NWS.
Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.
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The Denver7 Team
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