Heavy Snow Blankets the Rockies

A spring storm dumped more than a foot of wet, heavy snow on the Colorado Rockies on Friday, shutting down schools, knocking out power and closing highways with rock slides and dangerous slush.

The storm dealt a one-two punch, with at least 16 inches of snow in the mountains and a soaking rain at lower elevations. Both fell on the heavily populated Front Range, including Denver, but the snow quickly melted in the rain.

Few complained, because Colorado has been mired in a years-long drought along with much of the West.

“We need the moisture so bad,” said James Krajeck, manager of the Black Diamond Casino in Cripple Creek. “Even though we’re going to lose some business out of this deal, I’m glad to see the moisture.”

The power went out as Krajeck spoke by telephone, leaving him in the dark.

Scattered outages were reported around the state, including 2,000 Xcel Energy customers in the Alamosa area who lost electricity as temperatures dropped well below freezing after midnight.

Lori Beierle-Bonsall and her husband woke up to no power at their home in Mosca, north of Alamosa. Their electric clock read 12:45 a.m.

“I went to bed with power and woke up without it,” she said.

The weather caused dozens of accidents. Interstate 25 was closed for about 12 hours at the Colorado-New Mexico state line because of poor conditions and spinouts near 7,834-foot-high Raton Pass. U.S. Highway 550 at Red Mountain Pass, in southwest Colorado, was closed by a rock slide covering 75 feet of road.

Many school districts in the Colorado Springs area were closed after as much a foot of snow made driving dangerous.