Warm fall weather is quickly coming to an end, with winter weather taking its place.
Coloradans need to be prepared for a statewide snow storm with significant snow expected to impact southern Colorado.
A complex storm system drops into Colorado Tuesday, promising an extended stretch of wet and colder weather for portions of the state. For the mountains and valleys, the first wave of snow arrives today and continues through much of Wednesday before largely ending. Snow could hang on over the eastern San Juans for a much longer duration. Winter-like impacts are anticipated to develop over the mountain passes today and tonight, but they should improve later on Wednesday.
For southwestern and south-central Colorado, snow will be widespread across the region. Highways through the San Luis Valley and mountain passes in the Sangre de Cristo, San Juan and Saguache mountain ranges may see significant snowfall amounts. Travelers will encounter slick and snowpacked roads with poor visibility due to blowing snow. Poor driving conditions may linger through the weekend.
While Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) crews will be out plowing roads, pavement may be slick and motorists should prepare for winter driving conditions.
Motorists should plan ahead, and check the weather and road conditions on COtrip.org or the COtrip Planner app before going out. They should avoid or limit driving during the brunt of a snow storm. They must be winter-ready, including having the appropriate tires with adequate tread for the weather. It is also important to pack a survival kit including blankets, extra clothing, food, water, a flashlight, chargers and batteries.
The “must carry” provision for truckers to carry traction-enhancement equipment (chains) on their vehicles from September through May was expanded this year to include additional highways west of I-25. It is imperative that big rig drivers chain-up when traction laws are implemented. For the past 12 years, this requirement was just for I-70 west of Denver, between Golden and Dotsero. Now, all commercial motor vehicles over 16,000 pounds must carry four snow chains or adequate alternate-traction devices on their trucks if they are using any of the following highways:
Visit freight.cotrip.org for more information.
When weather conditions warrant, CDOT will activate the Traction Law. If weather conditions deteriorate, CDOT will activate Chain Laws for passenger and commercial vehicles. Motorists will be alerted to an active Traction or Chain Law by highway signage, COtrip.org and traffic/roadway condition alerts.
For more information on the Traction Law and Passenger Vehicle Chain Law requirements, visit codot.gov/travel/winter-driving/tractionlaw. For more information on the Commercial Vehicle Chain Law requirements, visit codot.gov/travel/colorado-chain-law.
To learn more and view helpful tips for winter driving, visit winter.codot.gov.
If motorists must head out during this winter storm, they are urged to visit COtrip.org and download the COtrip Planner app ahead of time. Motorists are now able to sign up for travel alerts through COtrip.org to see if there are any highway closures or impacts along their favorite routes. The COtrip Planner app also offers a “Trip Planner” feature that allows motorists to map out their routes and receive updates about road closures or incidents along the way. Motorists can turn on the “Hands-Free, Eyes Free” feature to receive these alerts via voice notifications and avoid routes with impacts.
The free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download.
