Early Storm Spreads Snow Over Rockies, Great Plains

An early autumn snowstorm assaulted the Rockies and the Great Plains on Monday, overburdening tree branches and power lines in suburban Denver and piling more than a foot of snow on some ski resorts.

The winter storm that hit Colorado on Sunday night and Monday morning left three inches of snow in Denver and four inches in Ft. Collins. Six inches of snow hit parts of Wyoming and Nebraska.

Temperatures dipped below freezing throughout much of the Rockies and the northern Great Plains.

Low-temperature records for the date were broken in International Falls, Minn. and Pocatello, Ida., where it was 21 degrees. Records were tied in Bismarck, N.D., 15 degrees; and Winnemucca, Nev., 16 degrees. The nation’s low of 7 degrees in West Yellowstone, Mont., was not a record.

Colorado ski resorts, which had been unable to get artificial snow to stick in the warm temperatures of recent weeks, were thrilled with Mother Nature’s assistance in their efforts to build a base for winter’s powder. Aspen Mountain received 13 inches of new snow, and most other ski resorts reported heavy accumulation. Colorado’s ski season is scheduled to open at the end of October.

The heavy, wet snow weighed down tree branches and triggered a power failure in a northwest Denver suburb, leaving several thousand people without electricity Monday morning. Low clouds and heavy snow contributed to a multicar accident on Interstate 25 north of Colorado Springs.

The storm also drove a larger number of people into Denver’s homeless shelters than usual for this time of year. The Denver Rescue Mission averages 100 people in early October, but on Sunday night 140 sought shelter.

Snow fell Monday morning in Kansas for the first time this season, but it quickly melted away.

In Cheyenne, Wyo., a weekend snowstorm left yards littered with tree limbs that snapped under the weight of snow that piled up to 10 inches deep.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Klaus rejuvenated in the Atlantic and threatened the Bahamas with 40-m.p.h. winds Monday, and Tropical Storm Lili sprang to life in the central Atlantic with 65-m.p.h. winds.

Tropical storm warnings were raised for the central Bahamas, and a tropical storm watch was in effect for the northern Bahamas.