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A snowy, icy start to the day apparently caused three multi-vehicle accidents on Interstate-70 during the Friday morning commute, but clouds are expected to give way to mostly sunny skies in Denver.
Ice on eastbound I-70 caused two accidents involving two cars each and one chain-reaction crash involving three vehicles, said Trooper Josh Lewis of the Colorado State Patrol.
“It does not sound like anyone suffered serious injuries,” Lewis said.
Backups were nearly two miles long, said Mark Aultman, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The right two lanes of eastbound I-70 reopened about 10:20 a.m. near mile marker 254 after delaying traffic.
Denver forecasters with the National Weather Service said there was less than an inch of accumulation around most of the metro area. A winter weather advisory was in effect in the Denver metro area Friday until it was lifted at 8 a.m.
LIVE BLOG: Denver morning commute
The advisory had warned that streets and sidewalks could be slick and hazardous after a freezing drizzle left an icy glaze overnight. That ice could be hidden by a thin layer of fresh snow.
“Pedestrians are urged to use extreme caution when moving about this morning,” the weather service said. “Travelers will also encounter extremely slick conditions in residential areas.”
TRAFFIC: Interactive Denver traffic map
Early in the commute Friday, the icy roads hadn’t caused major accidents on highways and no roads were closed throughout the state, said Aultman.
“The conditions aren’t nearly as icy and foggy as it was a couple of days ago,” Aultman said. “It’s been a quiet morning. We’ve not even had too many minor accidents. People are remembering their experience of a few days ago and are taking precautions. Luck factors into it.”
Road crews put down a lot of chemicals on the roads overnight and it reduced the hazard, he said.
Drivers are urged to give themselves extra stopping distance, make sure they have plenty of windshield wiper fluid, and to watch for icy spots on elevated bridges and overpasses.
Out at Denver International Airport, officials said airlines are deicing and traffic is moving along Pena Boulevard while crews work on ice buildup.
Temperatures in Denver on Friday are expected to reach 29 degrees for a high. That’s about 15 degrees colder than the seasonal average high for this date.
Overnight, temperatures are expected to dip to 20 degrees, before a weekend warm-up that will see high temperatures reach the upper 40s to low 50s.
By game time Sunday afternoon for the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts (2:40 p.m. kickoff), temperatures should be in the low 40s, said Kyle Fredin, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Denver.
“It should be really good. We’ll dry out,” Fredin said.
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@denverpost.com or twitter.com/danielboniface