Updated Thurs. March 14, 2024 2:57 p.m.
The Colorado Department of Transportation expects to close I-25 over Monument Hill Thursday afternoon or evening as winter weather continues to hammer the area.
After a rainy start to the current winter storm, parts of southern Colorado are now blanketed in fresh, heavy snow with more to come. The National Weather Service has extended the time periods and area for many winter weather advisories and storm warnings covering the region. They're in place for the entire I-25 corridor and west of the interstate. State emergency officials are encouraging people to stay home if they don't need to travel.
The predicted storm prompted school and facility closures as early as Wednesday afternoon, even before snow began to fall. Some, like Academy District 20 in Colorado Springs and Huerfano RE-1 transitioned to remote learning.
Reports around El Paso County from the National Weather Service show Monument has received more than a foot of snow as of 8:30 a.m. Near Peterson Air Force Base, snow measurements so far range from nearly three to 6.5 inches. Higher accumulations are in the western part of Colorado Springs, with 8 inches west of downtown.
Manitou Springs has seen 12 inches of snow. Cascade, along the Highway 24 corridor, has seen 20 inches of snow, according to data from NWS. An informal report from the Teller County Office of Emergency Management says the snow depth near Wrights Reservoir in the southwest part of the county was nearing 30 inches at 8 a.m.
Other parts of southern Colorado, like Trinidad and Pueblo, have seen mostly rain and smaller amounts of snow so far. Trinidad is under a winter storm warning. Snow started accumulating there around noon. The advisory previously in place for Pueblo has been changed to a warning. The Eastern Plains could see a mix of rain and snow.
As of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said snow showers will continue to intensify through early afternoon. Predictions from the agency earlier in the morning said the heaviest snow could come through Thursday night.
More than 800 flights coming in or leaving the Denver International Airport have already been canceled as of Thursday morning, according to the flight tracing website FlightAware. Thirty-six cancellations have been reported at the Colorado Springs airport.
