Ski resorts, wheat farmers welcome snow

Ski resorts, wheat farmers welcome snow
    By Jennifer Hamilton
    The Associated Press
     DENVER (AP) - A powerful snow storm underestimated by forecasters dumped 21 inches at Vail Mountain and brought much-needed moisture to winter wheat farmers.
     The crop needs snow cover to protect from the sub-zero cold sure to come.
     The snow came as a bit of a surprise.
     ``We were kind of led down a wrong trail,'' National Weather Service spokesman Bill Ray said. ``The low pressure system intensified more than the computer models had told us it would.''
     In southern Colorado, Red Mountain Pass received 18 inches and Coal Bank Pass got 17 inches. Rabbit Ears Pass in Craig reportedly received 24 inches.
     Cities along the Front Range received up to four inches of snow. An additional four inches was predicted to fall before Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported.
     Along the plains, wheat farmers welcomed the snow.
     ``A lot of people were waiting for some moisture one way or another,'' said Jerry Johnson, an extension specialist in crop production at Colorado State University. ``We needed the wet snow for moisture and a sort of insulation.''
     As the storm pushed eastward, the Transportation Department reopened all mountain passes, including Loveland Pass where crews cleared avalanche chutes Monday morning.
     Blizzard conditions were still reported in northeast Colorado on Monday. U.S. 34 from Akron to Yuma was closed due to drifting snow.
     ``It's snowing and blowing,'' said Delano Arnold, a clerk at Akron Hardware, about 120 miles northeast of Denver. ``Everybody's staying home right now, so we're not selling much of anything.''
     The National Weather Service forecast the heavy snow in the northeast would taper off through the day and that temperatures wouldn't top 30 degrees. Wind gusts were expected to reach up to 40 mph.
     The chilly, snowy weather wrought havoc on roadways throughout the state.
     Drivers skidded off interstates in Weld County on Sunday. And motorists heading home after the holidays were caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic just south of Denver as numerous accidents clogged Interstate 25.
     Road conditions were treacherous as temperatures hovered well below freezing, turning snow from the night before into ice.
     Gene Towne of the Colorado Department of Transportation said roads were still icy but much of the storm had moved out, allowing crews to reopen mountain passes and clear avalanche dangers.
     ``It's happy days for Vail and the skiers, if you're a skier you're in business,'' meteorologist Chris Jones of the National Weather Service said.

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