Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday declared a disaster emergency due to a severe winter storm affecting parts of the state.
On Friday the National Weather Service had declared winter storm warnings for nearly every county in Colorado east of the Continental Divide.
Denver and Boulder were forecast to get between eight and 12 inches of snow, while plains regions to the east could see four to eight inches. Accumulated snow was expected to cause closures and hazardous driving conditions across much of the affected area.
Many schools across Denver and the wider state were closed Friday due to the severe weather. State government offices were closed in affected areas on Friday, according to the governor's press release, with many workers shifting to remote work.
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The Colorado National Guard has been activated to respond to the storm, which makes members available for emergency response and rescue operations.
Colorado has also activated state emergency divisions responsible for managing operations and response during emergency situations. The declaration gives the state more leeway to deploy resources depending on the effects of the storm.
Snowfall was forecast to persist until late on Friday. Windy conditions with gusts up to 60 miles an hour were forecast for parts the Front Range over the weekend.
