Meteorologists are telling the public to cover up amid forecasts that show snowfall by late Friday night and an arctic blast that will make frostbite possible during the day.

The National Weather Service in Pueblo said there will be wind chill values between -5 and zero degrees throughout the day for Colorado Springs, with conditions expected to worsen come nightfall. Snow will be likely, but mainly after 11 p.m.

The weather conditions prompted the Colorado Springs Police Department to issue a citywide crash alert for Friday. Fountain is also on one.

Meteorologist Casey Dorn of Gazette news partner KOAA said people planning to go out Friday should cover exposed skin because frostbite or frostnip will be possible within less than 30 minutes.

“Temperatures won’t climb much today. In fact, we’ve very likely already reached our highs for the day early this morning in the teens. Temperatures will remain consistent or even fall through today due to the upslope flow behind our front, bringing more cold air into the region,” Dorn said.

KEY LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

Click or tap here for an updated list of closings and postponements.

Click or tap here to access The Gazette’s interactive map with the latest Colorado Springs road conditions.

Click or tap here for statewide road updates from the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Click or tap here for flight status updates from the Colorado Springs Airport, which had at least one cancellation and a few delays early Friday.

EMERGENCY SHELTERS READY

January’s typical arctic blast arrived right on time this year, and overnight emergency shelters were ready.

Hope COS opened its temporary shelter in the gymnasium at The Sanctuary Church on Tuesday, as temperatures fell below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and have remained there since, said Joel Siebersma, director of mental and behavioral health integration for Hope COS.

Between 70 and 80 people have been spending the night on cots, he said, with the numbers to grow to more than 100 as temperatures remain in the single digits through the weekend, he said. Other short-term locations also can open as needed, Siebersma said.

New this year, the city of Colorado Springs’ Mountain Metro Transit public bus system is offering free rides to shelters for homeless people and others who need a place to spend the night.

Springs Rescue Mission, the city’s primary homeless shelter campus, is expecting large crowds as well this weekend. And the Salvation Army’s Family Hope Center, which provides emergency shelter to families, also is running at full speed.

Local shelters operate on a “low-barrier entry” model, in which people can come as they are and find a spot to spend the night indoors when temperatures fall below 20 degrees — even if they’ve been using drugs or alcohol. The substances are not allowed to be used on the premises, but often can be placed in secured areas for retrieval when clients leave. Weapons also cannot be taken into the sleeping quarters but can be stored safely until clients exit the shelter.

“January’s always January — we were kind of expecting this to come, since this has been the pattern for January for the last few years, where we have one or two extended periods of cold weather and we’re open for five to seven to 10 days in a row,” Siebersma said. “We were kind of waiting for that to happen, and it came this week.”

Donations of paper plates, plastic utensils, disposable coffee cups, breakfast items and snacks can be dropped off in the back of The Sanctuary Church at 1930 W. Colorado Ave.

HELP WITH HOME HEATING COSTS

For those needing help paying home heating costs, Colorado’s federally funded Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) will pay a portion of it.

If your income is 60% or less of the state median income level, you qualify for the assistance. To apply for LEAP, call 866-HEAT-HELP.

While you should prepare for a frosty Friday, Dorn said any snow impacts are likely to be low.

The Weather Service is forecasting new snow accumulation in Colorado Springs to be less than 1 inch for Friday night.

A FRIGID AFC CHAMPIONSHIP IN DENVER

The Denver Broncos will host their first AFC Championship Game since 2016 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday. Fans should brace for frigid conditions, with a kickoff temperature of 17 degrees expected, Gazette news partner 9News reported.

One final wave of light snow may also develop along the Front Range on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s the weekend forecast for Colorado Springs from the Weather Service:

Saturday: The chance for snow is 90%, with new accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. Temperatures will remain in the teens, with windchill values between -5 and 5. More snow could come come Saturday night, mainly before 11 p.m.

Sunday: The sun will return, and temperatures will slowly rebound, rising to a high near 19 degrees. Sunday night will be mostly clear, with a low of around 1 degree.

Come Monday, temperatures are expected to rebound in the high 30s.

The arctic blast follows a dry and warm start to the winter, which has caused a record low snowpack. Southern Colorado has seen a couple of snowstorms, one of which brought record-breaking snow totals.