A significant winter storm at the end of the season is expected to cover parts of Colorado with up to four feet of snow over the weekend, creating dangerous travel conditions and prompting Governor Jared Polis to activate the Colorado National Guard.
About 50 members of the Guard will be available for search and rescue, Polis said in a press conference on Thursday, when he encouraged residents to prepare themselves by obtaining water and gas.
“I recommend that you stay home if it is going to snow heavily in your area,” he said on Twitter.
Polis said that some clinics canceled Covid-19 vaccinations this weekend and he asked residents to check directly with their provider.
In the Denver area, where a winter storm alert goes into effect from early Saturday morning through early Monday, the forecast is up to 60 inches of snow, with gusts of up to 35 miles per hour, according to the National Meteorological Service. Areas close to Boulder and Fort Collins could see up to a foot of snow.
The storm is expected to hit harder in western Colorado, including the Front Range Mountains and Foothills, where meteorologists forecast up to a meter of snow.
The trip will become difficult, as gusts of wind combine with heavy snowfalls that can produce conditions close to snowfalls, said the Meteorological Service. The snow is expected to be heavy and wet, increasing the chance of power outages and tree damage.
“If you can be safe at home or elsewhere, especially during the height of this storm, do so,” Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, said at a news conference. “This gives our crews a greater ability to do their job, maintain essential travel as possible for as long as possible and return our state roads to normal in the safest and fastest way possible.
Parts of Nebraska and Wyoming will also see considerable amounts of snow and ice, according to the Weather Service. Southeast Wyoming will be under a winter storm alert over the weekend. Snow accumulation in the area can reach 34 inches, with gusts of up to 50 mph
The storm comes while much of Colorado has enjoyed warm temperatures this week. Denver International Airport reached 70 degrees on Sunday and Fort Collins reached 67 degrees on Monday, according to data from Colorado State University.
Last month, Denver saw its biggest snowstorm of the season so far, with some metropolitan areas receiving up to 35 inches of snow, according to The Denver Post. It was also the biggest snowstorm the city has seen since April 2016, when more than a foot of snow fell. In general, March is the month with the most snow in the city.