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Colorado roads: Snow leads to messy conditions

Drivers will encounter slick, icy and snowy roads Wednesday across Colorado.

COLORADO, USA — Another round of snow has led to a mess on Colorado's roads.

This winter weather system has brought a fresh round of snow along with frigid temperatures to Colorado. The system will impact the region into early Thursday morning, and both of the Wednesday rush hours will be impacted by the storm.

Roads were icy and wet overnight into Wednesday and below-zero temperatures will keep roads around the Denver metro area and across the state slick and snow-packed throughout the day.

The City of Boulder, City of Fountain, and Fort Collins each are on Accident Alert status Wednesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) urge travelers to slow down and use extra caution.

Denver plow tracker
CDOT plow tracker

CDOT plow crews are in full shift and will be plowing and treating state-maintained roads throughout the storm and afterward as necessary.

NWS has issued Winter Storm Warnings, High Wind Warnings, Blizzard Warnings, Winter Weather Advisories and High Wind Watches across Colorado.

FORECAST: Full forecast
CLOSURES: Full list of closures
ALERTS: Latest Colorado weather alerts

In the Denver metro area, rain and snow showers began early Wednesday morning and will continue throughout the day. The Denver metro area will see 2 to 4 inches of new snow.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for much of the Western Slopes and mountain areas of Colorado for one to two feet of new snow along with 60+ mph wind gusts.

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Front Range foothills and northern/western metro suburbs for 4 to 8 inches of new snow.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for parts of the I-70 mountain corridor like Vail, Aspen and Snowmass for 5 to 10 inches of snow.

Blizzard conditions will be possible along Wolf Creek Pass from 5 p.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Thursday. Widespread blowing snow will make travel difficult to impossible during this timeframe.

Even with plowing, pretreatment and deicing, CDOT said roads are slick, particularly on bridges, overpasses and shady areas. CDOT added it's best to avoid driving during the Wednesday commute and work from home if possible.

If you have to be out, take it slow, keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you, stay well behind plows, do not pass plows and give extra time.

The City of Denver has 70 large plows and 36 smaller residential plows. Denver's large plows can drop deicer down to provide traction on the streets. The small plows do not carry deicer.

Know before you go and check out COtrip.org for the latest road conditions.

Keep up with the latest road conditions here:

Colorado chain and traction laws

The CDOT urged travelers to be aware of chain and traction law codes before heading out on the roadway:

  • Code 18/Commercial Chain Law: Commercial vehicles and trucks must have chains. Vehicles without chains can often lose traction, causing traffic delays and sometimes road closures. For the safety of the traveling public, it's critical to use chains to comply with Colorado's chain law.
  • Code 15/Passenger Traction Law: All passenger vehicles must have appropriate all-weather tires with 3/16-inch depth. Vehicles must have one of the following: winter tires, tires with mud/snow (M+S) designation, chains or alternative traction devices such as an autosock. 4WD and AWD vehicles must have winter tires or all-weather tires.
  • Code 16/Passenger Chain Law: All passenger vehicles need chains, except for 4WD and AWD vehicles with all-weather tires with 3/16-inch tread depth.

SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Snow in Colorado

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