With a late-season winter storm bearing down from the north late Tuesday and Wednesday, the City and County of Denver opened extra emergency shelters to help residents stay warm.

Snow already began blanketing areas in northern Colorado and Estes Park Tuesday, with the storm expected to move into the Denver area in the evening. Four to eight inches of snow is expected in the Denver metro area, according to 9News meteorologist Chris Bianchi.

Bianchi said in an X post that the kind of storm expected Tuesday evening is unique and unusual for this time of year in Denver due to how widespread the snow will be. He said spring snowstorms are typically localized, but this storm will impact the entire Denver area, as well as the Boulder area and Fort Collins.

Nearly the entire state of Colorado is under either a winter storm warning or freeze warning as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service’s Boulder office. Snow is expected along the Interstate 25 corridor and Front Range, all the way down to the Colorado Springs area.

The shelters in Denver will open at 6 p.m. Tuesday. A list of shelters can be found on Denver’s website. People in need of shelter are encouraged to go to “front door” access points at the following locations:

• For individual men, Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street Community Center, 2222 Lawrence St.
• For individual women, Samaritan House, 6240 Smith Road.
• For youth between the ages of 12 and 24, Urban Peak, 1630 S. Acoma St.
• For families, Inn at the Highland, 2601 Zuni St.

Two 24/7 shelters are also available at 2601 W. 7th Ave. and 375 S. Zuni St.

The weather has also had an impact on Denver sports. The Rockies home game Monday against the Mets was moved up by three hours due to inclement weather; now the game Tuesday has been postponed until Thursday, and the game Wednesday has been moved back from 1:10 p.m. to 7:20 p.m.

A watch party outside Ball Arena for the Avalanche’s second-round playoff game Tuesday was also canceled.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre also rescheduled a concert set to take place Wednesday due to the anticipated snow. The band Bright Eyes is now set to play May 12.

Colorado officials are also warning motorists to be prepared for heavy and wet snow that can impact roadways. The Colorado Department of Transportation said the weather is expected to cause wet, slushy and hazardous driving conditions on many roads and highways.

The areas most expected to be heavily impacted include the high foothills and mountain corridors, including Interstate 70 and Larimer and Boulder counties. Wednesday morning is expected to be the peak of the storm, and conditions will begin to improve Wednesday afternoon.

Broken branches and downed powerlines are also possible, CDOT said.