In typical, Colorado-like fashion, March is kicking off with a winter storm.

A cold front is sweeping across southern Colorado Friday morning, bringing low temperatures and snow, Meteorologist Casey Dorn of Gazette news partner KOAA said in an email. More snow is expected in the higher terrain. Be prepared for winter travel conditions.

Dorn said the storm is a “fairly common” severe weather setup for the spring and summer because it will result in a blend of upslope flow and wind shear.

The storm prompted the Woodland Park schools to close Friday.

The Colorado Department of Transportation reported that parts of Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs were wet with rain and scattered snow showers. Wind gusts around 30 mph were also expected throughout the day.

Harrison School District 2, Lewis-Palmer D-38 and Manitou Springs D-14 were among the districts to cancel night events.

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

Some flights at the Colorado Springs Airport were disrupted – no apparent cancellations but several delays – Friday. Click or tap here for the latest flight status updates.

In Denver, the driver of a de-icing truck was hospitalized and a United Airlines flight was deplaned after a crash at Denver International Airport on Friday morning.

Amid heavy snowfall, United Airlines flight 605 headed to Nashville hit the truck while leaving the de-icing pad around 8:30 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

DIA had hundreds of flight delays amid a ground stop by the FAA Friday morning. Click or tap here for the departure and arrival times at DIA.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Pueblo is expecting several inches of snow across the state’s southern half. This includes Buena Vista, Cripple Creek, Woodland Park and Salida.

For Colorado Springs, the expected amount is around an inch, with the high-end amount around 3 inches. A snowfall data sheet from the office states there’s a 69% chance to get around an inch.

Snow is expected to pile up on the mountain passes. The Weather Service expects around 11 inches for Monarch Pass and 9 inches for Wolf Creek Pass.

Dorn said the snow will move throughout the morning hours.

“Snow will become steadier and will ‘fill in.’ This is when you’ll experience more impacts, particularly if you’re driving over the Palmer Divide or through Ute Pass,” Dorn said.

According to the meteorologist, the heaviest and steadiest snow is likely between 7 a.m. to noon in the Pikes Peak region and over Monument Hill and Teller County.

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 is reporting several delays.