DENVER (NewsNation Now) — Some parts of Colorado could see extreme amounts of snow as a snowstorm continues to move through the region this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, saying it expects 18 to 24 inches of heavy, wet snow to fall in Denver and Boulder from Saturday afternoon through Sunday night. Some areas along the Front Range foothills were expected to receive up to 30 inches.
Despite snow developing later Saturday, heavy at times, roads will remain just wet until sunset, but will quickly become snow-covered and quite treacherous thereafter.
The Colorado Department of Transportation warned that road closures are highly likely and asked people not to make unnecessary trips. The highways most likely to be affected included Interstate 25 from Colorado Springs to Wyoming, including Denver and Monument Hill; I-70 to Limon; and I-76 to Ft. Morgan, the department said.
NewsNation affiliate KDVR reports that the snow from this storm will be heavy, wet snow, so tree limbs will be weighed down and power outages could result. Snow with high water content — like residents could see this weekend — is heavy to shovel and will make roads much slicker. This means it’ll be important for motorists to pace themselves in both clearing the snow from your driveway and sidewalk, and attempting to navigate the roads — something not recommended after 5 p.m, KDVR reports.
On Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis urged residents to stay home except for emergencies during the height of the storm.
Nearly 2,000 flights have been canceled over the weekend at Denver International Airport. Airport spokeswoman Emily Williams said Denver International had a busy morning Saturday with passengers trying to beat the storm, but about 750 flights later in the day were canceled. Just about all Sunday flights had been canceled as well — around 1,250.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KDVR contributed to this report.