"Historic" Avalanche Threat in Colorado

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7 Mar 2019 9:14 AM
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns of a potentially large to "historic" avalanche threat, tweeting out the 'extreme' level 5 of 5 threat Thursday morning. https://twitter.com/COAvalancheInfo/status/1103649463455895557   Multiple avalanches have occurred across the state in recent days. Slides in Wyoming and Colorado have turned deadly. CAIC reports two recent deaths, one in Wyoming when a snowmobiler was caught and buried in a slide on March 4. Another fatality occurred in Colorado as a back-country skier was buried in an avalanche on March 3. Parts of I-70 have had to be shut down multiple times in recent day with multiple slides occurring, and blocking the roadway, including this slide caught on camera on March 3. https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1102797385242214400   On Thursday morning, local officials shut down a portion of Colorado's I-70 and SR-91 due a natural gas leak after an avalanche hit near a local gas station. https://twitter.com/Summit_Fire/status/1103652859894263810   Following information and story from WeatherNation affiliate KOAA: KOAA - The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) warned of “historic avalanche danger” around the central mountains of Colorado following recent heavy snow. In a tweet Thursday morning, the CAIC raised its avalanche danger scale to “extreme.” That scale warns that major avalanches are very likely and natural and man-made avalanches are “certain.” The avalanche warning is for the Vail, Summit County, Sawatch, Gunnison and Aspen zones. The warning comes after yet another avalanche spilled snow onto I-70 early Thursday morning at Vail Pass. I-70 had been covered by multiple avalanches Sunday afternoon east of Copper Mountain. Meanwhile, the Front Range, the San Juan, Steamboat and High Mesa zones were upgraded to 4/5 on the avalanche scale. That means large avalanches are possible in many areas.  
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