Rain, snow closes courthouses, snarls traffic; storm could bring 2 feet of snow to foothills

Rain, snow closes courthouses, snarls traffic

DENVER — A powerful spring storm dropped snow, sleet and rain across much of Colorado on Friday, spawning tornadoes and snarling traffic.

More than a half-dozen tornado sightings were reported across the eastern plains. Residents were breathing a sigh of relief that there appeared to be no damage or injuries.

“The tornados were far enough away that we didn’t get the real bad wind but close enough to frighten me,” Fort Lyon resident Edith Wilson told the Pueblo Chieftain.

The storm caused the closure of courthouses in Elbert and Douglas counties, and Douglas County schools closed early. Minor league and college baseball games in the Colorado Springs area were postponed. Southbound I-25 south of Denver to Monument Hill was closed for several hours.

Rescuers used a tracked vehicle to rescue two campers stranded north of Woodland Park. El Paso County authorities said the pair was safe but stranded in a vehicle as 2 feet of snow left a road to their campsite impassable.

John Noll, spokesman for El Paso County search and rescue, told The Gazette newspaper that five more campers near Woodland Park were rescued, while others got out before the storm kicked up.

“The weather service did a good job on this one,” Noll said. “Most people are hunkered down today.”

Although the low-pressure system causing the storms was drifting east toward Kansas, up to a half-foot of snow was forecast overnight for the mountains west of Colorado Springs.