From freezer to fridge
Temps across state expected to rise after record cold
Felix Doligosa Jr., Rocky Mountain News
Published December 8, 2005 at midnight
It was a record-breaking day on the cold front Wednesday.
National Weather Service readings at Denver International Airport set new marks both for the low - minus 13 at 10 p.m. - but also for the coldest high temperature for the date, only 3 degrees at 3 p.m.
The deep freeze will ease today, but it's still going to be cold. Temperatures are expected to rise to about 30 today, with sunny skies in Denver, although the National Weather Service was hedging a bit.
"There is chance it could be in the teens. It could be pretty cold," said meteorologist Jim Kalina.
The weather service said Wednesday morning temperatures hit a low of 11 below zero at 7:51 a.m. at DIA. Temperatures hovered around 10 degrees below zero in the mountains during the day Wednesday.
Winds were calm except in parts of Yuma County, where wind warnings were issued.
The cold weather set records outside the state as Yellowstone National Park in Montana recorded a temperature of 45 degrees below zero Wednesday. In Lubbock, Texas, officials recorded a temperature of 6 degrees below zero. Freezing rain forced Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to cancel about 400 flights.
The cold closed several schools in Colorado and contributed to a fatal accident on Interstate 225 Wednesday morning.
Vladimir Anosov, of Aurora, died when his taxi cab was hit by a tractor-trailer in the northbound lane, Aurora police said. Anosov was drivingin the southbound lane when he was hit from behind and went over the median into oncoming traffic.
Several accidents were reported around Colorado, but none severe enough to warrant any road closings, said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Only Loveland and Rabbit Ears Pass had chain restrictions.
Most of the traffic problems occurred on snowy roads, such as Federal Boulevard, that were not immediately plowed, Stegman said.
"It's been pretty mellow," she said.
In northwestern Colorado, Scott Ford said subzero temperatures wouldn't stop him from trying to get an elk on the last day of his hunting trip in Craig. His truck broke down after hitting a rock, so he was waiting for mechanics Wednesday who were busy installing new batteries and jump-starting vehicles after an overnight low of 23 below.
"I don't like it, but we live in Craig, so we know this happens. We just kind of deal with it and life goes on," said Denny Lee, owner of a local gas station.
The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures to hit about 40 degrees by the weekend.
doligosaf@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2970 The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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