The quietest weekend since late January on I-70 closed out the quietest March since the pandemic – and the hottest March of all time.
Just over 113,000 vehicles traveled the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels this weekend, March 27-29, for a loss of 17% in one week. Barely 505,000 cars traveled the mountain corridor in four weekends this month, down 4.5% from last year. The last time March traffic dipped this low was March 2020 with 463,000 vehicles in four weekends.
One for the books
It’s no surprise skiers disappeared this weekend. This March will go down as the warmest in Summit County history with 10 records in 12 days, from March 19 to March 30, easily the longest spring heat streak in 115 years of record keeping at the federal weather station in Dillon.
But first, one more record high. Dillon hit 63 degrees Fahrenheit today, beating the old record of 59 degrees from 1986.
Average high temp this month was 53.5 degrees, nearly 6 degrees warmer than the previous record in March 2012. For the first time ever the average low temp was in the 20s.
Summit’s Hottest in History (March 30)
- 2026… 63 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1986… 59 degrees
- 1950… 58 degrees
- 1946… 57 degrees
- 1966, 1971, 2015… 56 degrees (tied)
Summit’s Hottest March (high temp, low temp)
- 2026… 53.5 degrees, 21.3 degrees
- 2012… 47.6 degrees, 13.9 degrees
- 2004… 46 degrees, 15.1 degrees
- 1999… 45.5 degrees, 14.5 degrees
- 2015… 45.5 degrees, 13.3 degrees
- 2017… 45.4 degrees, 18.0 degrees
Snowpack peaks
Snowpack on the Upper Colorado River basin did not stand a chance during the heat wave. Local snowpack measures 33% of average today. It has nearly been cut in half in 12 days.
Odds are good the basin already hit peak snowpack nearly two weeks ago on March 17. The average peak is usually two weeks from today on April 12.
But a change in the weather is coming. Forecasters predict cold, rain and snow, beginning tomorrow evening with a winter weather advisory good through most of Wednesday. After that is more unsettled weather into the weekend.
Weekly I-70 traffic counts presented by Dillon Ridge Liquors.