A winter storm warning was issued by the National weather service in most of eastern Colorado on Friday, leading to the closure of Colorado School of Mines for the second time in three years and leaving students and faculty with a great snow day.
Officially, the total snowfall in Golden was approximately 17 inches. Comparatively, Denver saw 14 inches, Boulder 22 inches, Genessee 32 inches, Evergreen 22 inches, and Pinecliff 50 inches. Snow drifts as high as 4 to 6 feet were also reported at higher elevations where winds reached upward of 40 to 50 mph.
The snowstorm took its toll on transportation as well, grounding over 600 flights at Denver International airport due to heavy snow and strong winds. Officials closed 160 miles of westbound lanes between the Kansas state line and metro Denver. A 70-mile stretch of the eastbound lanes was also closed from the Denver metro area east to Limon. It also led to the closure of numerous businesses and schools ranging all across the front range from the University of Boulder, to Denver, and south to Colorado Springs.
The snow was a boost to some ski resorts that have been seeing less than average snowfall this year. But while Echo Mountain and other resorts close to Denver celebrated up to 40 inches of powder, the storm barely hit larger resorts with a few inches in central Colorado’s Rockies.
It was a fun day for many students, as they could be seen playing in the snow, throwing snowballs, and building igloos. For students, it was a welcome break from school and a extended weekend. As Mines student Nicole Neals said, “It was the best thing to find out waking up on Friday morning!”