Ahhh, March in Colorado -- When it can be 70 degrees and sunny one moment, and a total, white-out blizzard just a day later.
A spring storm pelted Denver and the surrounding area with heaps of fresh powder Wednesday, bringing with it howling winds, sweeping power outages and swaths of store closures. According to the National Weather Service, some areas accumulated between six and 20-plus inches of snow.
The blizzard caused authorities at Denver International Airport to cancel 1,000 flights before finally shutting down completely, and schools and offices shuttered as well. According to the Denver Post, hundreds of miles of roads and major highways were closed to traffic. Many cities were placed on "Accident Alert," meaning it was not feasible for officers to respond to many minor traffic accidents.
Yet another video from Denver. Huge aggregates, 40-60 mph winds, true blizzard conditions. Amazing storm. pic.twitter.com/lu0qr6pXGP— Taylor Trogdon (@TTrogdon) March 23, 2016
#Boulder #Blizzard2016 It's all so beautiful. A photo posted by Gloria Dowell (@gloriatraveler) on Mar 23, 2016 at 2:10pm PDT
Without a whole lot of other practical places to go, many Denver denizens chilled indoors and vented on Twitter and Instagram about the extreme weather fluctuations.
70+ degrees yesterday, blizzard today and the power is out. Welcome to #Colorado, marijuana transplants.— joey mazzotta (@joeymurdah) March 23, 2016
Yesterday it was 70 degrees with the sun out... now it's a damn blizzard... Colorado why you so crazy? pic.twitter.com/QPgw7qXR9s— OHHHHHH YESSS!!! (@HellfireCOS) March 23, 2016
Yesterday: 70 degrees and sunny.... Today: blizzard A photo posted by Matthew Brown (@iamtheimmortal) on Mar 23, 2016 at 9:27am PDT
Some brave folks who had to venture out into the snowy abyss probably regretted it. Slushy roads and dismal visibility does not make for a fun car ride.
"It is a pretty hairy commute," said Lt. Katherine Buckley, a Colorado Springs police officer, in a statement to the Denver Post. "Most of the downtown area on the south side is wet and slushy. On the west side, north side and east side, we have blizzard conditions and we are seeing a lot of very slick streets with people not be able to get up the streets. We are seeing some pile-ups."
We have been stuck on I-225 for 2+ hours. No end in sight pic.twitter.com/kncbN41Dib— Jim Pinigis (@Pinitron2000) March 23, 2016
This is what it looks like to be stuck in a blizzard, in case you wondered. pic.twitter.com/9bH0J6GBMp— Trevor Hughes (@TrevorHughes) March 23, 2016
#Colorado #Denver #Blizzard So this is the freeway closest to my home. See that 1 lone driver braving the #weather? pic.twitter.com/hyJDeMJY4q— Rochelle (@Miyahoka) March 23, 2016
Got a gold star for making it the 40 miles into work in a blizzard...now I can't get home #Denver #ihatesnow— Carling Bemis (@StrongCarling) March 23, 2016
But it wasn't all bad. For some (especially those with paws), the wintry weather provided a much-needed snow day.
It's a snow day in so many places across Colorado! This pup in Bailey is loving all the fr… https://t.co/xzDeiOcGdN pic.twitter.com/QDsDDsOCQb— 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) March 23, 2016
@9NEWS 20 inches so far. pic.twitter.com/raRl0CD3BC— Sabrina Pawlik (@StayMomma) March 23, 2016