Raging blizzard at Pikes Peak forces evacuation
Video shows intense snowfall at the mountain’s summit on Monday as access was closed earlier this week.
Ranger Stephen Peterson captured the intense blizzard conditions atop Pike’s Peak in Colorado as he worked to get families and visitors stranded at the summit to a visitor’s center for shelter on June 12.
Visitors hoping to reach the summit of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs on Monday may have expected a serene moment at the top of America's Mountain. It's June, after all. But severe blizzard conditions forced the evacuation of the Pikes Peak Summit Complex, the Gazette reported.
Footage from the summit of the mountain showed a raging blizzard decreasing visibility to just a couple of feet as high winds swirled around, buffeting the car seen in the video. Skyler Rorabaugh, general manager of the complex, reported 6-8 inches of snow on the summit as of Tuesday. On the roads, snow drifts as high as 3 feet and ice layers about half an inch thick were reported.
Road access to the summit was also closed Tuesday as storms continued, though the cog railway that goes up to the peak was in operation by Tuesday afternoon.
Summit camera at Pikes Peak shows several inches of snow after a blizzard.
Rangers have had to evacuate the summit multiple times this month because of the extreme weather, Rorabaugh said, though evacuations are rare during the summer.
“Things we don’t typically see this late in the summer, in the month of June,” Rorabaugh told KOAA News5. “Health, life and safety is paramount of concern for us.”
Colorado has 58 peaks higher than 14,000 feet, but Pikes Peak is one of just two with roads that lead up to the summit for visitors. The mountain attracts a huge number of visitors, with over 23 million making the climb in 2021.
Conditions on the mountain pose a contrast to the weather in nearby Colorado Springs, which sustained heavy rainfall and hail over the past week caused by an upper-level area of low pressure moving across eastern Colorado.
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What are the mountain's safety procedures?
Rorabaugh said rangers typically warn drivers at the base of the mountain that conditions could prevent their ascension to the peak in the event of dangerous weather. But when the storm moves in quickly, rangers start contingency safety protocols that include sheltering in place at the summit’s buildings or, in extreme cases, heading downhill immediately.
Is this normal?
While heavy snowfall in June is rare for cities like Colorado Springs, it’s not unheard of on the state’s highest peaks. This interactive map from Climate.gov shows many weather stations in the state historically recording snowfall well into the summer months.
Will blizzard conditions continue?
Heavy snowfall is expected to continue on Pikes Peak through Saturday afternoon. As of Thursday, live cameras on the peak showed blizzard conditions had paused, though several inches of snow and high snow banks could be seen piled at the summit.
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