CDOT: Independence Pass slated for June 1 re-opening date
Beau Toepfer/The Aspen Times
As the last of May approaches, the air begins to warm, and the sun shines more consistently. Snow, however, continues to fall in the Colorado high country as late-season storm systems pass by.
With recent snowfall, including the four extra inches on the night of Monday, the Independence Pass re-opening date has been postponed to June 1. The pass typically opens the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend.
“Crews are making good progress on the east side and on the west side of the pass,” said Elise Thatcher, CDOT’s communications manager for northwestern Colorado.
The storm that hit the Roaring Fork Valley on Tuesday was expected to bring 6-8 inches of fresh snow, especially above 9,500 feet. The system that brought the snow is small, lasting only one day before moving on.
“The accumulations are being primarily confined to the highest elevations generally above 9,000 to 10,000 feet,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Miller said, adding that a few additional inches were expected into Tuesday evening. “And then looking at dry weather for tomorrow (May 22).”
Despite good progress on clearing snow, the sheer volume of snow on the pass and the recent snowfall has made it impossible for CDOT to open the pass for Memorial Day weekend.
“Due to heavy snow, we know we won’t be able to complete clearing Independence Pass in time for the holiday weekend,” Thatcher said. “We’re out there clearing the snow as quickly as we can.”
Snow this late in the season isn’t unheard of. This, however, will likely be one of the last squalls for the season. The rest of the week calls for some chance of rain Thursday night through Saturday, with lows in the 30s. Snow isn’t out of the question, according to the forecast.
“I imagine this is probably going to be one of the last storms; I can’t say we’ve never had some surprises with snow, even as late as early June,” Miller said. “You certainly can’t rule out some additional snow, but I’d say odds probably favor this as one of the last snowstorms.”
