How will 4 - 6 inches of snow affect the airport and the roads? (Westminster: how much)

[michael1248]

Taking my first trip to the airport since moving here. (Thanks to all who previously offered advice regarding transportation, parking, RTD, etc.)

My flight leaves at 1215pm....just about when the snow is forecast to taper off. I am planning on leaving at about 930am from the Broomfield/Westminster area. I was lucky enough to get a ride, so I will not be parking.

Wondering how 4 to 6 inches of snow affects the roads to the airport, as well as the airport itself?

[reatlor21]

Michael,
In regards to your travel out to the airport, it will all depend on when the snow falls in relation to the morning commute and how much sticks to the road overnight. If it comes early enough for much of it to be driven off during rush hour, you will probably be less affected. If it snows through the morning commute, you might be a bit more affected. 9:30 shouldn't be too bad. With good roads your looking at 30 minutes and with bad roads it could take an hour+. I would leave yourself a bit more time to get through security as people might be running behind and it might be a bit more crowded. If it was me (if we get 4-8 inches and roads are affected) I would leave myself an hour and a half travel time and the same at the airport if its a domestic flight. DIA is as good as you could expect about keeping runways clear and flights as close to on schedule as possible. I would expect small delays at worst if we get the expected amount of snow. Just keep your eye on flight status and you should be fine. You should be good on time but wouldn't hurt to leave 30 minutes earlier to give you a tiny cushion.
It is Colorado, and you could wake up to sunshine
Happy traveling!

[ucbedge]

My experience is that car travel takes twice as long with snow on the roads. A 10-minute trip takes 20, a 30-minute commute takes an hour.

Airport will still be running with 8 inches of snow as long as the cross winds arent too bad.

[DenverLawGal]

It's worth mentioning...if your flight is international I would be extremely cautious about arriving in plenty of time. Even if it rains a lot people tend to drive much slower and traffic builds up easy. I'd turn on the news first thing in the morning and pay close attention to the traffic reports.

[cowboyxjon]

I think these are good responses. Sometimes the airlines will 'preemptively' cancel flights before a storm, so make sure to check your airline's website before leaving your house. It probably won't happen for 4-6" of snow, but I think its good to keep this in mind!

[DenverLawGal]

Good point cowboy, also there might be a change in time and/or gate.