Roads slick after freezing drizzle, snow

"This would be a good day to stay inside."

So says the National Weather Service in Pueblo, explaining that a dose of freezing drizzle in the very early hours of Saturday that turned into snow later left roads in the Pikes Peak region slick.

A thin layer of ice is hidden under the snow, said Randy Gray, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo.

"It is a little tough to get around," he said, adding that the combination of ice and snow is relatively rare for the area.

Saturday morning, Colorado Springs police and Highway Patrol responded to numerous accidents around the city and along Interstate 25 Saturday.

Police are on "accident alert", meaning they'll only respond to the most serious wrecks. Drivers in wrecks that don't involve drugs, alcohol or injuries should exchange information and file their own accident report later, police said.

City plow crews hit the roads at 5 a.m., the city said. Plows will hit the most traveled roads first before taking on secondary routes.

Most of the wintry weather will last through Saturday before tapering off Sunday morning, Gray said.

Saturday's temperatures will be cold, with the high between 18 and 23 degrees, he said. At 9 a.m. the temperature reported at the Colorado Springs Airport was 14 degrees.

"It will warm up to the 30s on Sunday."

The mountains west of Colorado Springs will see some sun today, as that area enjoys slightly warmer weather before another system moves in. A separate cold front is dropping snow in the Colorado Springs area.

"We're kind of sandwiched between two different systems," he said.

The San Juan Mountains and the Wolf Creek area, however, are under winter storm warnings.