DENVER (AP) — A snow storm brought up to around a foot of snow to northern Colorado and shut down and delayed the openings of schools in parts of the state on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service said 11.3 inches (28.7 centimeters) was reported near Boulder but the accumulations were lighter in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas. Most schools in the Denver area had delayed openings because of the weather but all major school districts in the Colorado Springs area were closed.
The Colorado Department of Transportation urged people to delay their morning commute and work at home if possible.
On Monday, the storm dumped heavier snow in Utah, prompting a rare decision to close Salt Lake City’s public schools and causing extensive flight delays and traffic accidents. The snow also shut down stretches of highways in Utah and Wyoming .
Snow at least 18 inches (46 centimeters) deep accumulated in some parts of the greater Salt Lake City area, The nearly 9 inches (23 centimeters) that fell at the Salt Lake City International Airport broke a record for the date set back on 1936, the National Weather Service said. Flights there were delayed more than an hour.
Many Utah school districts took the rare step of canceling classes and it was the second snow day for the Salt Lake City School District in nearly 20 years. Colleges, courts and government offices delay opening.
The snow closed long stretches of Interstates 80 and 25 and other roads across central Wyoming on Monday. The snow lightened by Tuesday there but a stretch of I-80 was closed in southeastern Wyoming because of whiteout conditions driven by strong winds. Slick conditions and blowing snow led the state to warn drivers to avoid unnecessary travel on other roadways that were open.
The storm is expected to move into the south-central U.S. and the eastern part of the country later this week, the National Weather Service said.
