.
. WELCOME
. WELCOME BACK TO THIS SPECIAL COVERAGE OF THE MARCH STORM NOW
THE FOURTH BIGGEST IN DENVER'S
HISTORY MORE THAN TWO FEET
OF SNOW.
MUCH OF COLORADO REMAINS UNDER
A BLIZZARD WARNING TONIGHT.
IT HAS BEEN A WILD WEATHER WISE
JUST AS OUR METEOROLOGIST
PREDICTED WOULD BE TOM.
ALL THOSE DOUBTERS.
WE'RE GOING TO CHECK IN WITH
DANIELLE IN A MINUTE.
FIRST THOUGH, WE HAVE TEAM
COVERAGE OF WHAT'S BECOME A
MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR
THE RECORD BOOKS WE START WITH
STEVE STEGER.
HE'S BEEN UP AT FORT COLLINS
WHERE THEY GOT HIT PRETTY HARD.
STEVE?
YEAH, AND TOM, THE NEW HEADLINE
TONIGHT XCEL ENERGY JUST TOLD
US IN A STATEMENT A SHORT TIME
AGO THAT AS OF 9:00 O'CLOCK IN
NORTHERN COLORADO, TWENTY
NINE THOUSAND OF THEIR
CUSTOMERS ARE WITHOUT POWER AND
THEY DO NOT EXPECT TO GET
THE POWER ON ANY TIME TONIGHT.
THEY EXPECT MIGHT BE SOMETIME
TOMORROW.
SO YOU SHOULD KNOW IF YOU LIVE
IN NORTHERN COLORADO YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR A WARM PLACE TO GO
IN MORGAN COUNTY THAT'S MORGAN
HIGH SCHOOL IN LARIMER COUNTY,
THE LIPASE CENTER IN WELLINGTON
OR RIDGELINE HOTEL IN ESTES
PARK.
THE OTHER HEADLINE HERE IN
NORTHERN NORTHERN COLORADO,
FORT COLLINS SPECIFICALLY A LOT
OF THE SIDE STREETS ARE VERY
SNOW PACK AND I WANT TO SHOW
YOU SOME VIDEO WE SHOT A LITTLE
BIT EARLIER TODAY.
WE WERE RESPONDING TO A CALL
POOTER FIRE AUTHORITY WAS OUT
TO HELP A KAYAKER WHO IS IN A
LAKE IN THE LAKE SHERWOOD
NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE BOAT HAD OVERTURNED.
THEY RESCUED THAT KAYAKER.
BUT THE ISSUE THEY HAD AFTER
THAT WAS THAT A LOT OF THEIR
EQUIPMENT GOT STUCK IN THE SNOW
INCLUDING A FIRE ENGINE.
NOW THOSE ARE HEAVY VEHICLES.
SO YOU IMAGINE IT TAKES A LOT
OF SNOW FOR TWO TO BASICALLY
GET ONE OF THOSE TRUCKS STUCK.
A COUPLE OF AMBULANCES WERE
STUCK AS WELL.
EVENTUALLY A PLOW FROM FORT
COLLINS CAME ALONG AND CLEARED
THE WAY FOR THEM.
ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IF
YOU'RE DRIVING AROUND FORT
COLLINS TONIGHT, A LOT OF THE
MAIN ROADS ARE A BIT CLEARER.
BUT IF YOU GO TO TURN DOWN ONE
OF THOSE SIDE STREETS, YOU'RE
GOING TO RUN INTO SOME
POTENTIALLY THICK SNOW.
WE COULD TELL YOU WE'VE GOTTEN
STUCK AT LEAST ONCE AND ALMOST
HAVE GOTTEN STUCK A FEW MORE
TIMES.
SO GOOD IDEA TO STAY OFF
THE ROADS AND LET THE CREWS DO
WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
YEAH, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
ALL RIGHT, STEVE, THANKS
BECAUSE WE REALLY CAN'T STRESS
HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO STAY
HOME UNLESS YOU HAVE AN
ABSOLUTE EMERGENCY BECAUSE
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOZENS
OF CARS THAT ARE STRANDED ON E
470 THIS AFTERNOON ALL
THROUGHOUT THE STATE WE'RE
HEARING THIS STORY.
BUT AURORA POLICE SHARED THESE
PICTURES OF THE HIGHWAY SAYING
25 30 CARS WERE CAUGHT IN THOSE
WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.
THE CITY OF AURORA IS UNDER AN
EMERGENCY DECLARATION THAT
MEANS ABANDONED VEHICLES WILL
BE TICKETED AND TOWED THINGS
GROUND TO A HALT DESIRE JUST
BEFORE THE AIRPORT ANNOUNCED
ALL SIX RUNWAYS WERE CLOSING.
THEN AT 5:00 THEY SAID AIRLINES
HAVE CEASED ALL OPERATIONS AT
THE AIRPORT FOR THE REST OF THE
DAY.
THE TERMINAL AND THE CONCOURSES
THERE OPEN TONIGHT BUT NO ONE
IS GETTING IN OR OUT AT THIS
POINT IN TOTAL MORE THAN
FOURTEEN HUNDRED FLIGHTS WERE
CANCELED AT DéDé TODAY.
NO SURPRISE REALLY CONSIDERING
THE ROAD CONDITIONS.
JENNIFER HUCKLES IS LIVE ON
TOWER ROAD AND YOU FOUND OUT
WHAT IT HAPPENS IF YOU TRY TO
MAKE IT TO THE AIRPORT IN A
BLIZZARD.
JENNY YEAH.
LESSON LEARNED.
CAN LESSON LEARNED ON THAT ONE
WHERE A LONG TOWER ROAD WHERE
ALL THOSE AIRPORT HOTELS ARE
TONIGHT ALONG WITH MANY OF THE
PEOPLE WHO ALSO COULD NOT GET
IN OR OUT OF THE AIRPORT TODAY
REALLY DICEY ROADS.
PEÑA HAD WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.
WE HAVE SOME VIDEO TO SHOW YOU
OF OUR JOURNEY ALONG PENA AS
FAR AS WE MADE IT, AT LEAST WE
SAW PLOWS ON THE SIDE OF THE
ROAD.
WE SAW WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND
WHEN WE LIKE SO MANY OTHERS
PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE
ROAD TO TAKE AN EXIT, TURN
AROUND AND GET OUT OF THEIR
CARS ALONG THE WAY GETTING
STUCK WHICH MEANS THE REST
OF US WERE STUCK IN A LINE FOR
SEVERAL HOURS.
ULTIMATELY WE HAD TO BE PLOWED
OUT OF THAT AND THEN EVERYBODY
WAS ABLE TO GO TO
THE RESPECTIVE HOTELS.
A LOT OF FOLKS AND STRANGERS
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER ON
THE EXIT RAMPS TODAY CAME AS
PEOPLE ARE GETTING OUT HELPING
DIG OUT CARS THAT DIDN'T HAVE
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AND COULDN'T
GET ALONG THOSE SNOWY ROADS.
SO YEAH, NOT GREAT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE STAYED IN THESE
HOTELS TONIGHT.
I SPOKE TO PEOPLE THAT WERE
STUCK ON THE ROAD EARLIER.
WE HAD PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING
TO GET TO WORK.
WE HAD PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING
TO TRAVEL.
WE HAD SOME SORT STATUS WHO DID
NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE GETTING
THEMSELVES INTO AND THEY SHOWED
UP IN COLORADO THIS JUST A
LITTLE BIT.
EVERYBODY AT THESE HOTELS
TONIGHT CAN OH YEAH.
IT'S ALWAYS A SURPRISE.