Winter storm warning: Denver and northern Colorado schools shut down amid 20-inch snowfall

In the wake of a heavy snow alert, many Colorado schools and universities have decided to close on Wednesday due to a late-season storm moving through the state. 

The intense storm warning comes along with heavy, wet snow that is expected to last through Wednesday, reaching peak accumulation in the uplands and ridges. 

Meanwhile, some areas witnessed as much as 15 to 20 inches of snow Tuesday night, with additional accumulation expected into Wednesday afternoon.

Concerning the situation, road conditions from the mountains and foothills across the Eastern Plains will be blanketed in snow heading into Wednesday morning. It has been observed that some icy spots will form in residential zones, as well as bridges and overpasses. 

Denver Public Schools (DPS), Aurora Public Schools, and Jeffco Public Schools have canceled all Wednesday classes. In DPS, all school-related events and activities are canceled, with the exception of CHSAA-sanctioned competitions. 

Other significant districts, including Douglas County, Boulder Valley, and Poudre School District, have also called off classes due to hazardous road conditions and heavy snowfall.

Poudre School District stated that the closure will be a full day off rather than a transition to remote learning. Similarly, Colorado State University (CSU) is closed on Wednesday. 

This occurs during the final week of the spring semester, with classes scheduled to end this Friday. As a safety precaution, the full campus closure CSU had already shut down the oval area early on Tuesday evening.

“The Oval will be closed starting at 6 p.m. today due to wet, heavy snow on tree branches. Barricades will be placed to ensure safety. The Oval will remain closed tomorrow for further assessment. The University will continue to monitor the weather situation and provide updates on operations, if necessary,” the university said.

The University of Denver announced late Tuesday that it will be closed on Wednesday. Similarly, the University of Colorado Boulder campus is also closed due to the weather. Despite the closure at CU Boulder there are very few students currently on site because final exams concluded last week.

The following school districts have announced closures for Wednesday:

• Aurora Public Schools
• Boulder Valley School District
• Briggsdale School RE 10-J
• Clear Creek School District RE1
• Denver Public Schools
• Douglas County Schools
• Eaton School District RE-2
• Elbert School District #200
• Estes Park School District
• Gilpin County School District RE-1
• Greeley Evans School District 6
• Jeffco Public Schools
• Littleton Public Schools
• Poudre School District
• Sheridan School District 2
• Thompson School District R2-J
• Weld RE-4 School District