Many Colorado schools and several universities shut down Wednesday as a powerful late season snowstorm moved across the state, dumping heavy, wet snow in the mountains and foothills and making roads slick from the high country to the Eastern Plains. Denver Public Schools, Aurora Public Schools and Jeffco Public Schools all canceled classes, along with Douglas County Schools, Boulder Valley and Poudre School District.
The storm was expected to last through Wednesday, with the heaviest accumulation in the mountains and foothills. Some of those areas saw 15 to 20 inches of snow Tuesday night, and more was expected to pile up into Wednesday afternoon. In the Denver metro area, icy spots were expected on unplowed neighborhood streets, bridges and overpasses, adding to the morning commute risk.
Poudre School District said its schools would be closed Wednesday, May 6 because of forecasted heavy wet snowfall and hazardous road conditions, and the closure would not be a remote learning day. Denver Public Schools said all school-related events and activities were canceled Wednesday except for CHSSA-sanctioned competitions.
The closures spread beyond K-12 districts. Colorado State University said it would be closed Wednesday and that the Oval at Colorado State University would close at 6 p.m. Tuesday because wet, heavy snow was collecting on tree branches. The Oval was to stay closed Wednesday for further assessment. The University of Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder also closed their campuses for the day.
At CU Boulder, few students were still on campus because the last day of final exams was the previous week. At Colorado State, the final day of spring semester classes is Friday, leaving the campus with only a few days left before the term ends. The immediate question now is not whether the storm disrupted classes — it already has — but how much more snow will fall before conditions begin to ease on Wednesday afternoon.