Colorado snowstorm to have significant travel impacts and road closures across mountains ahead of Thanksgiving

Significant travel impacts and road closures are expected across the Colorado high country Tuesday into Wednesday, ahead of Thanksgiving. Travel should be avoided for a roughly 36-hour window beginning Tuesday morning and lasting until Wednesday afternoon.  

Snow rates across the mountains will be at or above 1″+ an hour from 2-5AM Tuesday morning. This will quickly cover roads and create treacherous travel conditions before sunrise on Tuesday. 

Snow will continue throughout the day on Tuesday, coming to an end on Wednesday afternoon. Widespread 10-24″ of snow is expected across the mountains with a few areas reaching 36″. Winds will also be gusting up to 35 MPH, creating extremely limited visibility. 

Many people will be hitting the roads ahead of Thanksgiving, creating additional concerns as snow moves in. The best times to travel across I-70 will be Monday afternoon and evening, ahead of the overnight snow. If you are unable to get out on Monday it is best to wait until Wednesday afternoon. Roads will still be slick, but the snow will have come to an end and the sun will be adding plow drivers as the thaw out begins. 

Rain will transition to snow Tuesday night into Wednesday across the Front Range. This will produce a general 1-4″ in Denver and 4-8″ across the Palmer Divide. Travel will remain good to go on Tuesday across I-25, with slick roads Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. If you’re planning to travel across the Palmer Divide it’ll be best to wait until Wednesday afternoon and allow plenty of extra time.

Temperatures drop into the single digits and teens across Colorado Thanksgiving morning. Any wet or slushy roads will be a sheet of ice, so please use extreme caution.  

Joe Ruch

Joe Ruch is a First Alert Meteorologist with CBS News Colorado. Catch his latest First Alert Weather updates on TV and on our free streaming service, CBS News Colorado. Check out his bio and send him an email.