Overnight snow squalls have marked the arrival of a winter storm in Colorado.

Bands of heavy snow that fell late Saturday blanketed parts of the Front Range in a very short span. Up to a foot of snow fell in the foothills and suburbs west of Denver with amounts ranging from 4 to 8 inches across the rest of the metro area and onto the eastern plains.

Forecasters say the storm will produce up to a foot of snow for Denver and most neighborhoods along the Interstate 25 corridor, while foothills and mountains east of Vail Pass should see up to 16 inches.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued several watches, warnings, and advisories for Colorado.

As highway accidents mounted as a result of the weather, the Colorado State Patrol closed I-70 in both directions between Floyd Hill and Morrison for a few hours but reopened it early Sunday.

The Colorado Department of Transportation says all of its snowplows are out but are having difficulties keeping up with the storm.

The snow will taper off by Sunday evening. Drier weather will arrive by Monday.

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