COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- It was a storm that, as predicted, blasted the southeastern plains with hefty snowfall amounts. However, it left most of the mountains with only light snow.
As of Tuesday morning, pretty much every major roadway in Southern Colorado was closed, including southbound lanes of I-25 south of Pueblo all the way to Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Snowfall was measured in feet from La Junta to Springfield. The heavy snow and blizzard conditions made travel impossible, and forced local hotels to quickly fill up as stranded drivers filtered in.
Red Cross shelters were even opened for those in need.
Late Monday night, a heavy band of snow set up in Colorado Springs which brought a quick 5-6" of accumulation. More snow was measured from Pueblo, especially south and east.
There is a silver lining to the snow. The southeastern plains have been in a drought for several months now. The heavy snow, which contained high water content, fell on areas that needed the moisture the most. The unusual snowfall was a welcome sight for those weary of the drought, but obviously making a headache for travelers.
Tuesday, the storm will clear the area and sun takes over. The plains will have a hard time warming up due to the fresh snow. While the snow was not as heavy as the blizzard of 2006-2007, the snow will like stick around on the plains through at least part of 2012.
Another storm will move our way Wednesday night. This storm will be different in that the snow will be lighter and temperatures will be colder. The higher accumulations will, this time, stay in the mountains.
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