Winter is tightening its grip on Metro Detroit after a slow start to the season.
Detroit Metro Airport tallied 0.1 inches of snow in December 2023, which is far short of the average 8.9 inches for the month. It was also warmer than normal.
Fast-forward to now, and January is trying to live up to its reputation and records as the snowiest and coldest month of the year for this region.
Through Jan. 10, Romulus had picked up only an inch of snow. Another inch and a half fell on Jan. 11. The winter storm of Jan. 12-13 dropped several more inches. During an 18-hour window ending Saturday morning, 4.7 inches had accumulated at the weather observation station for Metro Detroit’s records.
Depending on location, you may have thought: “Here we go again! Nothing to see here,” or “Wow. That’s a lot of snow.”
Snow intensity was not the only factor in differing totals, but the rain cut down snow totals in some areas. In Metro Detroit, accumulations from the Jan. 12-13 storm were greatest in Oakland County and increasingly lower to the east and by the shoreline.
What were the totals?
Gusty winds complicated some of the weather observers’ efforts to measure the snowfall, but this is what they reported to the National Weather Service through Saturday morning:
8.5″ Ortonville, Oakland County
8.0″ White Lake Township, Oakland County
6.3″ Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County
5.9″ Richmond, Macomb County
4.9″ Mount Clemens, Macomb County
4.7″ Romulus, Wayne County
4.5″ Shelby Township, Macomb County
4.4″ Dearborn, Wayne County
4.2″ Wyandotte, Wayne County
4.0″ Farmington, Oakland County
4.0″ Morenci, Lenawee County
4.0″ Clio, Genesee County
3.5″ Burton, Genesee County
3.0″ Lakeport, St. Clair County
3.0″ Dundee, Monroe County
2.3″ Roseville, Macomb County
2.3″ Howell, Livingston County
2.0″ Flint, Genesee County
1.5″ Grosse Pointe Farms, Wayne County
While the intensity of the winter storm varied considerably across Southeast Michigan, we will all be subjected to the bitter cold in the wake of the storm.
Drivers should make sure that they have winter emergency kits for their vehicles. Supplies could include a first aid kit, snacks, a flashlight, jumper cables, blanket, gloves, shovel, snow brush and scraper, salt and cat litter, and bottles of water.