Late winter storm socks Sterling
A winter storm hit the Sterling area Thursday, prompting an early start to spring break for RE-1 Valley students.
The district released students at noon Thursday, the last day of classes before spring break began, due to the storm warning and “deteriorating road conditions.”
The weather also led Northeastern Junior College to cancel classes and operations for Thursday afternoon, and Iliff Head Start Preschool dismissed at 1 p.m. Sterling Recreation Center also closed early Thursday and announced a late opening time of 10 a.m. Friday.
Eastbound Interstate 76 was closed from Sterling to the Nebraska state line for several hours before reopening in mid-afternoon. US Highway 34 was also closed in both directions from Brush to Nebraska for a time.
The wet weather started overnight Wednesday night with a thunderstorm hitting around 2 a.m. and light rain continuing through the early morning hours before turning to snow
While snow was expected to continue overnight, the National Weather Service canceled the winter storm warning that had been issued and replaced it with a winter weather advisory in effect until 8 a.m. Friday. In it, NWS called for only an inch of additional accumulation, but advised that Friday morning’s commute could bring ice and snowpacked roads and urging drivers to slow down and use caution.
The NWS predicts warmer and drier conditions for the weekend through early next week. After a high around 30 Friday, the forecast calls for a sunny 50-degree day Saturday, and temps to climb into the 60s Sunday. A chance of precipitation returns Wednesday, with possible rain during the day turning to a rain and snow mix Wednesday night.
The detailed forecast follows: Friday: Snow likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. North northeast wind 8 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday Night: Mostly clear,
with a low around 13. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming west southwest after midnight.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 50. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. South southwest wind around 6 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 62.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Wednesday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Breezy.
Wednesday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Blustery.
Thursday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Breezy.