DENVER | Wind chills of up to negative 25 are possible across eastern Colorado.
The regular temperature was just 0 in Aurora at dawn on Wednesday and was only expected to rise to about 5 degrees.
Both Aurora school districts were open and expecting students and teachers to arrive on time.
Several vehicles slipped off the road during the morning rush hour, but Aurora police say there haven’t been any major crashes so far.
Lt. Jeff Turner, who oversees the traffic section, said the first snow storm of the season often takes drivers by surprise.
“It takes the first snow storm and ice storm to get people reminded,” he said.
In these conditions, drivers should drive slower than normal and leave a little extra space between them and the vehicle in front of them, he said.
It’s also important to slow down early when pulling up to an intersection because those high-traffic areas are often the slickest, he said.
The arctic airmass that’s keeping things so cold is also producing some moderate to heavy snow, which has been making travel difficult.
There is only about .10″ to .15″ of water in the lower atmosphere right now, so that should provide us with 2 to 4 inches of dry, fluffy snow by midday on Wednesday. Heavier totals are possible in the northern Front Range mountains near Estes Park and Red Feather Lakes, where 4-8 inches may fall.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect along most of the Front Range until 5 p.m. tonight.
Yesterday, Aurora only reached a high of 16 degrees —a new record for a cold high temperature for Nov. 11, beating the old mark of 19 degrees, set in 1916.
James Gillespie, spokesman for Comitis Crisis Center, said its emergency overnight shelter located on the Anschutz Medical Campus is at capacity with all 80 beds taken. He said the emergency shelter will allow people to stay longer while temperatures remain dangerously low, and will provide overflow shelter options if necessary.
“We’re under a cold weather alert, so we don’t turn anyone away,” he said.
Cheryl Conway, a spokeswoman for the city’s animal care division, said owners should keep their pets indoors while temperatures remain below freezing because an animal’s ears, tips of tails, and toes are susceptible to frost bite. She added that animal care has received an uptick in calls from concerned residents about pets who appear to be neglected or left outside for too long.
“We investigate all complaints of this nature,” she said. “We do make certain animals have access to shelter at all times, which is both a city ordinance and state law.”
Temperatures in Colorado vary considerably from east to west, as the cold, dense air does not move easily up and over the mountains. Readings are in the single digits and teens in Denver and across the northeast plains. The mountains and foothills just to the west of Denver are much milder, with readings in the 30s in places like Fairplay and Fraser. Western and southern sections of Colorado reached the 40s and 50s.
The cold weather will remain over the eastern part of Colorado for the next 4-5 days, although some moderation in the chill is expected after Wednesday.
There will be another round of snow moving into the state Friday into Saturday, bringing more snow to the mountains and the metro area. A WINTER STORM WATCH has been issued for the Central and Northern Mountains for Friday through early Sunday. Snowfall will increase and may accumulate to 8-16 inches – great news for the ski resorts.
The Aurora area will get another round of snow Friday and early Saturday, with 1-2 inches expected. The passage of this next system will drop temperatures a bit for the weekend as highs will only be around freezing on Saturday and lows will drop to near 10 above Sunday morning.
The early winter blast will ease out of the region early next week as the winds aloft shift to a more west to east pattern, bringing milder air into the region from the Pacific. This pattern will bring Denver and the eastern plains back into the 40s, while the mountains may still see periods of snow as the Pacific air will bring some moisture.
— 7News weather, Aurora Sentinel News Partner
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Yeah, it’s FRICKING COLD in the Denver metro area right now! We’ve had a string of record-breaking lows that’s lasted for several days in a row now.
I for one am getting sick of all this record-breaking cold being caused by global warming, and have finally decided to join with those who want to end global warming if for no other reason than that global warming has made things so darn cold here!
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