A snowstorm swept through the region this morning, leaving half an inch of snow downtown and creating traffic delays across the Front Range.

Some parts of the metro area received up to 2 inches, while even more snow fell in the mountains.

The storm has largely moved on, with clear skies and some sun downtown.

Still, conditions on major arteries downtown are "wet, slushy and icy in spots," while less-traveled roads are a bit more harrowing, said Stacy Stegman, spokeswoman for Colorado Department of Transportation, which sent crews out at 5 a.m. to coat streets in a chloride-based solution.

The storm caught drivers by surprise, as weather forecasters initially thought Denver would be spared from snowfall. Some commuters reported slippery and extremely icy conditions on Colorado Boulevard and several other roads.

But the city said it had plows out last night after reports first surfaced indicating that it might snow. Crews have been using a chloride mix to melt the snow and ice. Ann Williams, a spokeswoman for Denver Public Works, didn't yet know whether crews had pretreated streets but added that the city hasn't received complaints specifically about Colorado Boulevard.

"We actually have been out since last night patrolling, before the snow was even falling," Williams said. "We had plows out overnight and before rush hour and we have 56 plows out there right now."

Williams said the plows will remain out until at least the early afternoon, when officials will reassess the situation. She urged drivers to call 311 — the city's information line — to report icy roads.

The Denver Police Department responded to numerous accidents this morning and expects more throughout the morning as drivers try to navigate slippery streets.

"There are going to be accidents throughout the day, where single cars are slipping and sliding and that sort of thing," said Fernando Rebora, an operations supervisor with the Denver Police Department.

Indeed, Colorado 58 was reportedly closed from Interstate 70 to Golden, and there was an overturned car on Interstate 76 and 120th Avenue.

Accidents also occurred earlier this morning at West 29th Avenue and Federal Boulevard; East First Avenue and Downing Street, and at the intersection of South Havana Street and East Girard Avenue, among other locations.

The Colorado Department of Transportation expects wet and icy conditions on overpasses and highway ramps, although snow "shouldn't accumulate ... at all this morning," according to its recorded road conditions report.

The storm has "pretty much wound down by now," Rob Krohn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said at about 8 a.m. "We'll see scattered (snowfall) in the mountains but probably not much more accumulation in the metro area."

Temperatures are expected to hit a high of 34 degrees, and the sun should peek through for part of the day. Much of the accumulation should be gone by Thursday, when temperatures are expected to reach the high 40s.

Ski resorts received some much-needed snow after a relatively dry start to the season. Breckenridge has reported 9 inches in the past 24 hours, while Copper Mountain received 3 inches.

Mountain roads are slushy and icy in spots.

"It's similar to what we're seeing in the metro area, just a little more extreme," said Stegman, of CDOT.