Gusty winds and heavy snowfall in the forecast will close Denver Public Schools on Wednesday.

DENVER — The largest school district in the state will be closed on Wednesday due to a winter storm making its way into Colorado.

Denver Public Schools had previously announced that there will be no athletic or afterschool activities on Wednesday due to the weather. Just before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, DPS announced that all schools and district offices will be closed for the day on Wednesday.

The blizzard coming tomorrow morning may also affect general operations on Thursday. Denver and its surrounding metro area will be under a blizzard warning from noon on Wednesday to midnight and travel conditions in the metro Thursday morning are a major concern.

A handful of other large school districts, like Aurora Public Schools, Cherry Creek Public Schools, the Douglas County School District, Littleton Public Schools and Sheridan Public Schools have also decided to close for the day. Click or tap here for a full list of closings and delays for Wednesday.

RELATED | Blizzard conditions for the Denver metro area and Eastern Plains Wednesday

The timing of snow was a crucial factor on school officials deciding to cancel classes and afterschool activities for the day. Blizzard conditions could begin pounding Denver around the lunchtime hour.

“Conversations today were exclusively around the timing,” Nicole Portee, Executive Director of Transportation for Denver Public Schools said.

Portee says the district considered an early dismissal for Wednesday, but ultimately decided to close DPS schools for the entire day to give students and parents more time to prepare for the storm.

"So when you look at all of those things, our major concern was we want to make sure that we are not putting any student or family in a hazardous position," Portee said.

WEATHER | Keep track of the very latest on the storm with live radar

Denver isn't the only school district in the state likely to see heavy snowfall, powerful wind gusts and whiteout conditions; the entire metro area and northeastern plains area is also sitting under a blizzard warning slated to begin Wednesday afternoon.

For those traveling in Morgan County, travel could become impossible, according to the National Weather Service. Anyone hoping to travel Wednesday afternoon in the northeastern portion of Colorado should seriously consider changing those plans.