Heavy snow closes Eagle County Schools, shuts down I-70 from Edwards to Frisco

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, it’s been snowing for 28 straight hours in the Vail Valley, prompting widespread road closures and the very rare snow day for Eagle County Schools.

All schools will be closed Monday, March 4 – only the second snow day in at least the last 15 years.

With snow falling since 3 p.m., Saturday, and a Winter Storm Warning in effect through 6 a.m., Monday, Interstate 70 and other local roads have been hard-hit. Avalanches between Copper Mountain and Frisco caused I-70 to be shut down from Edwards to Frisco Sunday night.

Both Vail and Beaver Creek reported a foot of new snow at the 5:30 a.m. report Sunday – on top of six inches Friday and Saturday — but steady snowfall piled up on top of that throughout the day on Sunday. Ski conditions were very deep and super-fluffy on Sunday.

Vail reported 15 inches new on Monday morning, for a two-day total of 26 new. Beaver Creek reported 16 new for a two-day of 28 inches new. Both resorts have had close to three feet of new snow since Friday.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued an avalanche warning through 6 p.m., Monday in the Vail, Summit County area, along with big sections of Colorado’s central and northern mountains. The avalanche danger is rated as “high” in much of the state.

More snow is in the forecast for the rest of the week.

“Snow will continue on Sunday from I-70 to the south, with additional snow on Sunday night, so conditions will continue to be soft and deep through Monday,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote Sunday morning. “Tuesday will be a break, then we’ll see a warm storm from Wednesday to Thursday with a colder storm from Friday to Saturday.”

Here’s the official snow-day notice from Eagle County Schools:

Dear Parents and Staff of Eagle County Schools,

Eagle County Schools will be closed on Monday, 3/4/19, due to inclement weather. Current conditions are challenging and we’re under a Winter Storm Warning until 6:00 AM on Monday, so we believe neighborhood and secondary roads will be treacherous in the morning. Since conditions are likely to worsen, we wanted parents to have ample time to make childcare arrangements. We currently expect schedules to return to normal on Tuesday, 3/5/19 unless otherwise notified.

Only essential staff members should report to work and can contact your supervisors with questions.