A view of Vail Village on Sunday evening. Snow was falling at rates of more than 1 inch per hour in places.
© John LaConteA view of Vail Village on Sunday evening. Snow was falling at rates of more than 1 inch per hour in places.
Vail workers headed home to Eagle on Sunday evening reported drive times of more than an hour after snow blasted Interstate 70 in Eagle County throughout the afternoon.

By 9 p.m., nearly 9 inches of snow had fallen in Vail.

Snow was falling at rates of more than 1 inch per hour in parts of Eagle County, and the Colorado Department of Transportation on Sunday night asked motorists to limit or avoid travel if you don't need to be out, "particularly on the I-70 Mountain Corridor."

"Work from home if you can and avoid all unnecessary travel," CDOT recommends.

The CDOT warning, sent out at 7:41 p.m. on Sunday, said bitter cold temperatures and widespread snow impacts will make driving conditions challenging through the night, and Monday morning's commute will be slow-going with icy conditions, especially on bridges and overpasses.

"Wet road surfaces will freeze overnight and there will be packed snow on several roadways," according to the release. "CDOT crews are fully deployed removing snow, with the focus on clearing the interstates and most heavily traveled routes first."

CDOT also warned motorists to prepare for delays with a winter emergency kit containing blankets, food, water and other essentials.

"Depending on weather conditions, (the I-70 Mountain Corridor) could close for safety reasons," CDOT officials wrote in the release. "Conditions can change rapidly, making for dangerous driving conditions ... If you must travel, go to cotrip.org for the latest information on road conditions."