Travel grinds to a halt in Colorado after April storm unleashes feet of snow

By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

April 18,2016; 9:40PM,EDT

 

A powerful April snowstorm buried parts of Colorado under feet of snow, forcing road closures and flight delays over the weekend.
The storm's slow movement allowed heavy, wet snow to persist for more than 24 hours in some locations.
The heaviest snow fell across the Colorado Rockies. Over 46 inches accumulated near Conifer, Colorado, just west of Denver. Amounts between 20 and 30 inches were widespread.
A lone pickup truck heads down the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 as a severe spring storm packing high winds and heavy, wet snow sweeps over the Intermountain West. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Portions of I-70 and I-80 were closed for a time due to white-out conditions.
The weather also snarled air travel for thousands, as snow forced the cancellation of nearly 70 percent of inbound and outbound flights at Denver International Airport on Saturday.
An unidentified maintenance man clears snow from a walkway at Denver International Airport on Saturday, April 16, 2016. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
"April is typically a battleground between winter and spring, so it is not unusual for a major snowstorm to occur from the same system that is spawning severe weather a few hundred miles away," AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said.
"The clash of cold air to the north and warm air to the south played a big role in the intensification of this storm," Duff said.
A bison is blanketed by snow as the animal stands at the buffalo overlook along Interstate 70 in Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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A Saturday matchup between the Colorado Rapids and the New York Red Bulls in Commerce City, Colorado, went on despite the weather. However, crews spent the hours leading up to the game clearing the field with snowplows.
Despite best efforts to keep the field clear, the storm's heavy snowfall caused the start of the game to be delayed and halftime to be extended for plowing operations.
Maintenance workers guide tractors to clear snow off the pitch before the Colorado Rapids host the New York Red Bulls in an MLS soccer match on Saturday in Commerce City, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)