As travelers prep to hit the roads and skies, a snowy Thanksgiving forecast looms

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The forecast this week is likely to impact travelers on the road and in the skies this Thanksgiving.

Light to moderate bands of snow begin Tuesday night and continue through Wednesday night along I-25. The heaviest impacts are expected in the western parts of Colorado, most notably near I-70.

While the weather is likely to throw a wrench in some travel plans, other people visiting Colorado say they're glad they left town when they did.

"We just stayed over here in the hotel and woke up to all this wonderful white stuff!" said Tiffany Graf, who is visiting from Texas.

She is likely to miss the worst of the storm, as she arrived at her family's house Monday and won't be leaving until after Thanksgiving.

“That’s why we call it a visit!” she said.

Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are asking those who need to head west to be prepared and pay attention to the forecasts.

"If people are traveling, west toward Utah or Durango or Grand Junction or just the mountains to ski, that's where the significant impacts with difficult to almost impossible travel," said Amber Shipley with CDOT.

CDOT says the most likely reason for a shutdown along I-25 would be from a large vehicle wreck. However, it's not unheard of in times when conditions are poor and there are more drivers on the road.

The Colorado Springs Airport (COS) anticipates 35,000 travelers will come through their doors between Wednesday and Sunday.

Both COS and Denver International say they're prepared to keep the runway clean, but flight changes are ultimately left up to the airlines.

"Our response stays the same we always have our snow team alert and ready to go," said Dana Schield, communications specialist with COS.

No matter how the weather pans out, officials hope travelers will stay in the loop for their forecast and avoid any mishaps.

“If it gets too bad we might just not drive," said Graf.