Stranded motorists and others seeking shelter should contact the nearest hotel. The city has confirmed that hotels throughout Westminster have vacancies. If you need assistance accessing critical resources including food or shelter, please contact the statewide center by hanging up the phone and dialing 2-1-1. For all emergencies, dial 9-1-1. The police department will respond to emergency calls only. Please hold on making non-emergency calls until conditions improve.
Click here for National Weather Service forecasts, warnings, and additional weather-related information.
The City of Westminster is preparing for heavy snowfall beginning Friday evening, March 12 through late Sunday, March 14. Updates on the city's snow removal efforts will be posted here about once a day through the weekend.
March 22, 10:30 a.m. Update:
the city's response to the march 2021 snowstorm has concluded. no more updates will be posted here. thank you for your patience!
march 17, 2:30 p.m. update:
crews continue making progress on residential roads and are nearly complete. today, crews are patrolling to find roads that may have been missed. we will do our best to inspect every location and respond.
starting tonight, crews will be going back to primary roads to remove additional snow from side lanes on primary roads. crews will move the snow to a vacant parcel of west 88th ave. crews will be performing this work from about 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
march 16, 10:00 a.m. update:
crews worked until 10:00 p.m. last night and have completed 80% of residential streets as of 9:00 a.m. the remaining areas will be plowed by the end of the week.
the areas that remain must be plowed with heavy equipment that can scoop the snow. please have patience. we will get to these cul-de-sacs, dead ends and other difficult to plow streets. we have limited number of equipment that can effectively plow these areas. we are calling in additional contractors to support this effort. we will systematically address the remaining streets and cannot provide a timeline of when a specific street will be plowed.
additional snow is expected tonight. although not much snow is forecast to accumulate, crews will have to shift to preparing for that response later this afternoon. this event is incorporated in the timeline shared above.
please be extra cautious when driving and allow extra time to reach your destination. there are piles of snow along streets that are occupying drive lanes and obstructing sight lines. if these piles of snow do now melt in the next few days, crews will be deployed to alleviate these issues.
march 15, 5:00 p.m. update:
we are hearing concerns about cul-de-sacs not being plowed to the end of the cul-de-sac. please understand that plows and heavy equipment have to back into the cul-de-sac to push snow out of the cul-de-sac and down the road. crews will back up as far as they can, but there will be a gap at the end of the cul-de-sac between their back tires and the front of the plow / bucket. the equipment is too large to turn around and plow the entire cul-de-sac.
march 15, 2:00 p.m. update:
about 20% of residential streets have been plowed as of 2:00 p.m. monday. the next shift of drivers will start at 3 p.m. and will continue plowing residential streets through the night. we are still unable to provide an estimate of when specific streets may be plowed. crews will continue working until all streets are plowed.
residential streets are being plowed neighborhood by neighborhood with the exception of cul-de-sacs and dead ends. cul-de-sacs and dead ends can only be plowed with heavy equipment that can scoop the snow and move it to a good location. cul-de-sacs and dead ends may be plowed after other nearby residential streets are plowed.
crews began transitioning to plowing residential streets at 10:00 a.m. equipment being used to plow residential streets includes 15 full-sized plows, two city front end loaders, three contracted front end loaders, and five pickup plows.
additional information shared earlier:
find a snow removal map, frequently asked questions, and more information at www.westminsterco.gov/snow.
march 15, 10:00 a.m. update:
trucks are starting to transition to plowing residential streets. see the previous update for more details.
march 15, 8:30 a.m. update:
please be patient. crews will continue plowing 24 hours a day in 12 hour shifts, but it’s going to take time.
residential streets will be plowed beginning later today, but it could take three to four days to complete due to the depth and weight of the snow.
what to expect:
additional information:
crews worked through the night to clear primary city roads. secondary roads were not plowed during the storm because all resources had to be focused on primary roads. crews have started plowing secondary roads this morning which connect primary roads to residential roads. once secondary roads are plowed, crews can start plowing residential roads.
the snow is too deep and heavy due to the moisture content for pickup plows which typically plow residential streets. the city’s fleet of 18 full sized plows will be plowing residential streets. front end loaders will be used to plow cul-de-sacs and dead ends that can’t be plowed by the full sized plows. contractors are activated to supply additional equipment. it will take longer than normal to plow residential roads because pickup plows cannot be used.
thank you for your continued patience! this was a historic storm and the city will continue working non-stop until all roads are cleared.
find a snow removal map, frequently asked questions and more information at www.westminsterco.gov/snow.
march 14, 4:15 p.m. update:
this storm is officially one of the worst in the last ten or more years to hit westminster.
blizzard conditions persist with snow falling at about one inch per hour with 30+ mph gusts. crews have struggled to keep one lane open on primary city roads throughout the day due to heavy snowfall and wind. secondary roads have not been plowed. a new shift of 18 plow operators started at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon and will work through the night until early monday morning clearing roads.
blizzard conditions are expected to continue until midnight tonight. there are many vehicles abandoned on city streets because they got stuck. please stay home and off the road until conditions improve tomorrow.
**closure notice**
city facilities will remain closed all day monday, march 15, due to continued poor weather conditions and to allow crews to clear streets throughout the day. the covid-19 testing site at fat cats will not open until noon on monday, march 15. the remote city council study session is still planned for monday evening.
residential plowing
more than 8 inches of snow has accumulated on city streets initiating residential plowing.
residential plowing will begin sometime monday morning after conditions on primary roads improve and the storm subsides. the current blizzard conditions make residential plowing dangerous and ineffective. plowing residential roads at night could also create icy roads.
due to the depth and moisture content of the snow, it may take the city two to three days to plow all residential streets. the city will deploy heavy equipment to plow residential streets if the typical residential plows (pickup trucks) can’t move the deep and heavy snow. crews will continue to plow roads as quickly and diligently as possible. please have patience.
when your residential street is plowed, the city will plow a single lane down the middle of the road. this will create piles of snow on either side of the plowed lane. it is the property owner’s responsibility to remove snow from their driveway or car to the plowed lane. we understand that this can be a challenge but there are over 1,100 lanes miles of streets in westminster and the city has limited resources.
reminder: cdot is responsible for snow removal on state roads including wadsworth parkway, us 36, federal boulevard, 120th avenue, and i-25.
as always, call 911 in an emergency.
march 14, 12:45 p.m. update:
the national weather serice has issued a blizzard warning through midnight tonight. crews are reporting near-impossible travel conditions in westminster right now. please continue to stay off the roads.
march 14, 11:00 a.m. update:
heavy snowfall and wind are contributing to dangerous driving conditions. please continue to stay off the road. see a video of current conditions on twitter.
city plows have been dispatched to assist on cdot roads (federal blvd, wadsworth pkwy, 120th ave) in addition to primary city streets. this will take plows away from secondary city streets.
graders have been activated to assist.
no determination on residential plowing has been made at this time. residential plowing is initiated after 8 inches of snow accumulates on city streets and snowfall subsides. an update on residential plowing will be provided this afternoon.
march 14, 7:30 a.m. update:
crews have been plowing since about 6:00 p.m. last evening. accumulation on road surfaces varies throughout the city from one inch in some areas and up to four inches in other areas. the second shift of crews began at 4:00 a.m. and will continue plowing throughout the day.
the wind has picked up significantly, causing white-out conditions in some parts of the city. these conditions can cause snowdrifts and cover traffic signals with snow. please continue to stay off the road and let plows focus on clearing streets.
high winds may remain throughout the day. two contractors have been activated to focus on blowing snow in the northeast and northwest sections of the city prone to snowdrifts.
although federal blvd is a state road, city plows have been dispatched there because of poor conditions. cdot is responsible for snow removal on state roads including wadsworth parkway, us 36, federal boulevard, 120th avenue, and i-25.
snow supervisors will be closely monitoring snow accumulation throughout the day to determine if residential plowing will take place. at least eight inches of snow accumulation on road surfaces is needed to initiate residential plowing. another update will be shared this afternoon, between 12 and 4 p.m., when the city will have a better idea if residential plowing is needed or not.
march 13, 7:30 p.m. update:
the snow has finally arrived! crews were called in at 5:30 p.m. this evening with plows hitting city streets a little after 6 p.m.
the city’s snow removal response includes 18 plow operators, one salt loader stationed at the municipal services center on west 88th ave, and two supervisors driving around the city to monitor conditions and support staff. this team will continue plowing throughout the night until they are relieved by the next shift in the early hours of sunday morning.
the snowstorm arrived later than expected and 5 to 8 inches are now expected overnight. extremely slippery conditions are expected tonight because of the moisture from earlier today turning into ice as temperatures drop and snow accumulating on top of the ice. the timing of the storm is helpful because less traffic will help crews plow roads more efficiently. the expected air temperature and moisture content of the snow will also help make the deicing material more effective than normal.
crews will likely spend the next two to three hours applying deicing material on primary roads before possibly transitioning to secondary roads depending on conditions. crews will focus on applying deicing materials at first and will start plowing when about two inches of snow accumulate on roads.
due to the forecast for significant snow accumulation, contractors are staged in areas prone to snowdrifts at west 100th ave and simms st and west 128th ave and huron st.
it is unclear if more than 8 inches of snow will accumulate on streets which initiates residential plowing. if residential plowing is needed, it will take place sometime tomorrow after the storm subsides. only a single lane will be plowed on residential streets due to limited resources.
as a reminder, cdot is responsible for snow removal on state roads including wadsworth parkway, us 36, federal boulevard, 120th avenue, and i-25.
please stay home and stay off the roads. roads will be extremely slippery and fewer cars on the road will help crews clear roads faster.
although the snow came later, there is still a chance that we receive well over a foot of snow. plan to stay home as long as conditions warrant.
march 13, 7:30 a.m. update:
weather forecasts have shifted from earlier this week. no snow fell overnight and no plows were dispatched. significant snow accumulation is still expected beginning saturday afternoon or evening through as late as monday morning.
snow is expected to begin in the next few hours, but no accumulation on streets is expected until later this evening when temperatures cool. the storm will likely intensify later this evening as well. staff will continue to monitor the storm and street conditions. plows will be dispatched as soon as snow begins to accumulate on streets.
plan to stay home beginning later saturday afternoon or evening as conditions will deteriorate as the storm arrives. travel is expected to be very difficult to impossible saturday evening into sunday. staying off the road will also help plow drivers clear roads as quickly as possible.
another update will be posted here around 7:30 p.m. tonight.
march 11 update:
public works and utilities snow crews are preparing for a major snowstorm this weekend with snow accumulations of 15 to 25 inches possible.
ahead of the storm, the city is asking residents to stock up supplies on thursday and friday and to avoid travel on saturday and sunday. travel during the snowstorm could be difficult to impossible during the storm. be prepared to stay home saturday and sunday.
the city's snow removal response will be prioritized according to its snow and ice control policy.
snow removal map.
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