SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Snow and high winds closed eastbound Interstate 70 near Vail on Sunday and created slick roads with low visibility around the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Clear skies turned to dark clouds and temperatures dropped to freezing just before 5 p.m.
FOX31 spoke with tourists who said the weather took them by surprise.
“It’s cold, very cold,” Ethan Thulin, who was driving from New York to California said.
Thulin was shivering as he filled his car with gas in Silverthorne.
“It was like 80 degrees and whatever and now coming here it’s freezing, you see I’m in my shorts,” he said.
The Colorado Department of Transportation plows were out early and could be seen making several sweeps of I-70.
“I respect them, I would not be able to do that,” one traveler said.
Business owners and others who make their living during the snow season hope the storm is an indication that this year will bring healthy profits.
Maggie, who grew up in Colorado told FOX31, “the more snow the more tourism, the more it stimulates our economy.”
CDOT removes snow and ice from more than 2,000 miles of pavement each season. Winter safety tips provided by CDOT encourage drivers to check road conditions before traveling.
Give your car a winter checkup, make sure your tires are winter ready, and always pack a charged cell phone, blankets and warm clothing and make sure someone at home knows the route you are taking.