Colo sees flood risk, snow

DENVER, Colorado - Heavy rains prompted flood watches and warnings in Colorado's foothills, along the Front Range and on the eastern plains Saturday, while snow temporarily closed Loveland Pass in the mountains west of Denver.

Chilly temperatures were predicted to last through the weekend, with highs reaching only the 50s and 60s in the Denver metro area.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for the Arkansas River in La Junta and the Purgatoire River near Las Animas in southeastern Colorado, where heavy rains over the last two days caused the rivers to swell.

In the mountains, the Colorado Department of Transportation closed Loveland Pass for a couple hours Saturday morning because of snow and ice and required chains on commercial vehicles on the westbound approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel.

There were trace amounts of snow in the mountains overnight, but no reports accumulation, said Chris Cuoco, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. He said rain was expected Saturday night and that more snow might fall later.

"This storm is going to be fairly slow moving out," Cuoco said.

The cause was a low-pressure system that moved south from Wyoming into northwestern Colorado.

The rain was expected to continue across northeast Colorado through Sunday morning, spurring warnings that small rivers and streams could overflow their banks.