Note: This story has been updated throughout the day.
The first flakes of a brewing snowstorm fell on downtown Colorado Springs just after 1 p.m. -- the opening act for a storm that is amking for a slippery commute home and treacherous conditions for those headed to and from the high country.
Crashes were reported across the city.
The National Weather Service revised its forecast midday, calling for 4-8 inches of snow in the city.
Click here to see road conditions on the Colorado Department of Transportation website.
For those headed to the high country: Traffic was being metered on eastbound I-70 at the Eisenhower Tunnel at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Drivers were advised to expect 20 minutes stops, with longer delays from Silverthorne.
Gazette reporter R. Scott Rappold, returning from an assignment in Breckenridge, reported Highway 24 west of Woodland Park was a snowy, icy "nightmare." The worst stretch, with extremely low visibility, was between Lake George and Wilkerson Pass.
Passes in west and southwest Colorado were closed.
The Colorado Springs Police Department switched to accident alert status shortly before 2 p.m., meaning that residents have 72 hours to report crashes that do not include injuries, drugs, alcohol or public property.
The Colorado Springs Streets Division called out its full compliment of plows at about 2:45 p.m., sending 50 plows into the city to help travelers get through the evening commute, said operations manager Ken Winckler.
The city will dump salt on downtown streets while using a combination of sand and salt elsewhere in the city, Winckler said. Much of the city will receive anti-skid, a mixture of 85-percent sand and 15-percent salt. Certain areas of the city will receive Ice Slicer, which uses a chemical that helps quickly melt snow and ice.
The help couldn't come soon enough.
The above photo was taken by a traffic camera Thursday afternoon.
As of 3 p.m., police were reporting a 20-car traffic jam at Union and Dublin boulevards, with a blockage on the southbound lanes. Two cars were stuck on a hill there, leading other vehicles to slow down and get stuck as well.
Meanwhile, northbound Union Boulevard was closed at Montebello Drive and westbound Vindicator was also closed west of Eagleview Middle School.
Tutt Boulevard was also closed north of Barnes Road.
Other crashes were reported at Circle Drive at Palmer Park Boulevard and North Carefree Circle at Oro Blanco Drive, as well as on Interstate 25 near Woodmen, the south entrance to the Air Force Academy and the Palmer Divide.
In addition, a crash was slowing traffic on U.S. 24 near Trout Creek, west of Woodland Park
"If you don't have some place to be, now is not the time to go out and do sight-seeing," said Sgt. Mark Stevens. "This is the time to stay home and be warm and be safe."
But the brunt of the storm will hit right as commuters head home, with the northern neighborhoods and Monument getting the heaviest snow.
"I think everybody will see accumulation," said Eric Petersen, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The majority of Colorado's highways were reported as icy, snowy, slushy and wet by 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The storm on Wednesday pounded California, bringing heavy rains and flooding to lowlands and dumping snow on the Pacific mountains.
Colorado's mountains will get dumped on though Friday, with most ski areas expecting a foot or more of new snow accumulation from the storm.
To see links to most Colorado ski area webcams, click here.
Colorado Springs police are advising drivers to slow down and not tailgate.
Police Lt. Pat Rigdon said with little snow so far this winter, drivers are out of practice in dealing with adverse weather.
He's expecting plenty of fender-benders when workers hit the slick roads tonight.
"The first time we have a bigger snow it results in a lot of accidents," he said.
The snow will be the best part of a weather system that's expected to put Colorado Springs in the deep freeze for New Year's Eve.
"The snow will taper off to flurries mid to late morning tomorrow and then it will just get cold," Petersen said.
Friday's high temperature will struggle into the low teens and midnight revelers ringing in 2011 had better be prepared for arctic conditions, with temperatures dropping to 10 degrees below zero overnight.
The frigid conditions will hold through the weekend before the region warms to the mid-30s to lower 40s next week, Petersen said.
The shot of snow will help Colorado Springs make up for a tinder-dry fall and winter. The region has seen just over an inch of snow since September -- about 15 inches less than a normal year brings.
