As the clock struck midnight on Christmas Eve, snow fell across Colorado and started accumulating on the ground.
North Central Colorado, including Gilpin, Clear Creek and Larimer counties, saw the most snow overnight, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Cooper.
Aspen, in Gilpin County, saw 10.5 inches of snow overnight; Lawson, in Clear Creek County, saw 8.8 inches; and 7.7 inches of snow fell just south of Estes Park.
Overall, both the mountains and the foothills saw an average of 2 to 5 inches of snow, Cooper said. The Denver metro got anywhere from a trace to 3 inches.
The weather service isn’t expecting any additional snowfall for the mountains Sunday, but light snow and flurries will continue in the foothills through mid-afternoon and the plains through tonight, Cooper said. Those areas, including the Palmer Divide south of Denver, will see another 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulate Sunday.
Wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph will hit the plains Sunday, moving eastward into Nebraska and Kansas around 5 p.m., Cooper said.
Colorado’s main area for travel concerns is eastward, where the state borders Nebraska, Cooper said. Strong winds, combined with still-falling and already fallen snow, will create blizzard-like conditions.
“The blizzard warning is in effect from midnight tonight through 5 a.m. Wednesday,” Cooper said. “Anyone planning to travel for the holidays using I-80 should think about postponing their trip.”
According to a hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service, Interstate 76 east of Morgan County could also see dangerous travel conditions during the storm.
Another round of snow is possible Monday night, worsening the conditions on the eastern plains and possibly returning to add another inch of snowfall to the Denver metro area, Cooper said.
High temperatures in and near Denver Sunday are capped around 32 degrees, dipping to 12 degrees overnight, according to NWS forecasters.
Christmas Day will be sunny, with an expected high near 33 degrees and overnight temperatures around 20 degrees.
Denver activated its cold weather shelters for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in anticipation of the below-freezing temperatures and snowy weather.
People seeking shelter before 9 p.m. should visit a referral center, including Lawrence Street Community Center, 2222 Lawrence St., for individual men and Samaritan House, 2301 Lawrence St., for individual women.
Families with minor children should call the Salvation Army Connection Center at 303-295-3366 or visit 11701 E. 33rd Ave. Youths ages 15 to 20 can visit Urban Peak at 2100 Stout St.
Buses will transfer people from the St. Francis Center at 2323 Curtis St. to the Denver Navigation Campus from 6:30 to 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., people needing shelter should go to the Navigation Campus directly.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
