4Warn Weather – Today is a 4Warn Weather Day.
Weather alerts
- Winter Storm Warning in effect for Wayne, Washtenaw, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair, Sanilac and Lenawee counties through this evening.
- Winter Weather Advisory for the rest of SE Michigan until 10 p.m.
The timing
A band of heavy snow is then expected between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., roughly centered on a line from Adrian to Metro Detroit to Port Huron. A snow rate of 1 inch per hour is likely during this time, creating significant travel implications this evening.
Snowfall looks to diminish by 7 p.m. through the evening.
Snow totals
The majority of Southeastern Michigan will see 4-5 inches of snow, with areas downriver possibly pushing 6 inches during a 12-14 hour period Wednesday. The higher amounts, favored for those south of I-94, could top out closer to 5-6 inches.
The highest accumulations will most likely occur around the Michigan/Indiana/Ohio state line, but the trajectory of the system also puts downriver into a favorable zone for a slightly extended period of moderate to heavy snowfall.
North toward the I-69 corridor, especially into the Flint area, 3-4 inches will be more reasonable, as the heaviest rates largely bypass this area to the east/southeast.
Into the Thumb region, some lake enhancement will occur from late afternoon into the evening and bring some local amounts of 5 inches or more as accumulating snow persists several hours longer.
More rounds of snow
Beyond this storm system, expect a rather wintry pattern to return Friday into the weekend with cold and occasionally snowy conditions persisting through early next week. After a clipper system brings light snowfall Friday/Friday night, a more substantial system may impact parts of the region by late this weekend. This will be the next system with widespread accumulating snow for our area. Temperatures will be notably colder by next week with highs in the low to mid-20s and single digits to lower teens for overnight lows.
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