A band of heavier snow is expected through 8 p.m. in Metro Detroit, promising a messy evening commute, with rates approaching 2 inches an hour.
The National Weather Service says storm total accumulations of 6-9 inches are expected, with snowfall ending around midnight and will reduce visibility to less than a quarter-mile, producing hazardous travel conditions in the quickly accumulating snow. Highest totals are predicted between Interstates 69 and 96, the service says.
A large swath of Michigan, including all of Metro Detroit, is under a winter storm warning, according to the weather service.
The warning stretches from Muskegon through Detroit and through most lower-central communities through the state.
Snow started to fall just before 9 a.m. in many communities and became more rapid around 2 p.m. Five to 9 inches of snow was expected by midnight, according to the latest advisory.
"If you must travel," a note on the weather warning says, "keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency."
Detroit Department of Public Works Director Ron Brundidge said the department started deploying workers at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
“We’ve got about 50 trucks out salting and as the snow continues to accumulate they will begin plowing,” Brundidge said. “We have a second shift of workers coming in at midnight to replace our drivers to keep a 24-hour shift.”
As of Wednesday, DPW is only salting and plowing main streets, not residential unless Detroit gets 6 inches of snow and is declared a “level 3” snow emergency.
“If a decision is made to bring the contractors in to start on residential, they’ll start Thursday morning,” Brundidge said. “…but as of now, we have not issued a snow emergency.”
Traffic on area freeways was moving slowly early this afternoon as snow and ice coated the roads.
Some people were out at gas stations and grocery stores Wednesday preparing for the storm.
“It’s about to get really cold, really fast so I went to Meijer and got some extra heaters and some medicine because you gotta be prepared this time of year,” said Darius Johnson, 46 of Detroit, while at the Sunoco on Glynn and Rosa Parks Blvd.
Josephine Johnson, 79, of Oak Park, said after getting gas from the BP on 9 Mile she was planning to go home for the rest of the day.
"You don't know how long this is going to last," Johnson said after filling up her tank. "But just in case I have to go somewhere, I have gas."
Some metro Detroiters said after years of surviving snow storms in Michigan, they were not worried about the 5-to 8-inch snow prediction.
"I'm used to this," said Krystal Green, 63 of Oak Park. "I'm just not going to go out."
Deshawna Dorsey, of Detroit, also isn't worried. "We have to be used to it by now living in Michigan and at least we’re having a bright Christmas," Dorsey said. "Usually, it’s gray and gloomy throughout the days.”
For those who don't have the choice but to commute, county and local road commissions and public works departments will be working to clear the roads.
Bill Bantom, director of the road maintenance division of the Wayne County Department of Public Services, said the county will have 117 of its 143 trucks available and on the roads. The trucks will fill up at the county's 12 salting locations, then proceed to the main trunkline roads and freeways nearby.
A second, smaller shift will mobilize in the evening. Leaders in the department discussed the strategy for the day in a conference call Wednesday morning.
Asked when trucks are expected to hit the road, Bantom said: "As soon as Mother Nature calls."
Speaking just after the 10 a.m. winter storm warning took effect, Leo Ciavatta, maintenance superintendent for the Macomb County Department of Roads, said the county has started proactive efforts by applying a salt brine solution to bridges and ramps, which freeze before the roadway.
The early portion of the day will see some 70 salt trucks, along with another 20 "light duty" vehicles, hit the roads. Macomb County is responsible for 1,700 miles of main roads, mile roads, freeways and state trunklines, and another 1,200 miles of subdivisions.
By mid-afternoon, about 45 to 50 trucks are expected on the roads, and the expectation is "round the clock" coverage for the next several days. Salt trucks pick up from four service stations and another storage facility placed throughout the county.
Craig Bryson, a spokesman for the Oakland County road commission, said the county would have a full complement of 106 salt trucks on the roads as the storm picks up early Wednesday afternoon. By evening, those numbers will fall a bit, but the trucks will be out in force again at about 2 a.m. This is when experts believe the snow will have stopped falling and before the morning rush.
Ciavatta and Bryson both said that while some cleanup can be done during the storm, the real work occurs after the snow stops falling.
The road commission expects to be occupied with clearing snow for the next several days, just as it was after the 4-inch snowfall over the weekend. That clean-up finally ended Tuesday evening, Bryson said.
"Sometimes, it doesn't matter how much snow there is, the road has to be passable," Bryson said. "But this is what we do."
The county is responsible for some 3,000 miles of roadway.
The expected snowy conditions forced Wayne State University to close for the day at 2:30 p.m. Detroit Public Schools Community District, meanwhile, will close two hours early Wednesday. After-school programs, put on by the city of Detroit's recreation department and held at nine Detroit schools, are also canceled for the day but are expected to return Thursday.
Detroit Public Works plows 673 miles of major roads, bike lanes will also be cleared on Cass and Michigan Avenue, and if necessary, 1,800 miles of residential roads. The city has 10 new trucks that can hold 15 tons of salt at a time, but that usually gets a driver a mile and half of coverage.
In the afternoon there were backups on Woodward and Ferry Street in Midtown along with a five-car-pileup on I-94 and Ferry Street shoulder.
DPW is asking drivers to avoid parking in the streets as much as possible.
Sara Pampreen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Wednesday the snow owes to a low-pressure system moving into the area from the northwest. The high Wednesday should reach the mid-20s. Overnight, the low should fall to 13 degrees.
Thursday should be drier, but will also be colder as clouds clear out, removing the "heat blanket" effect they can have. The high Thursday is only expected to reach 20. The low should reach 12.
On Friday there's a chance of a half-inch of snow, Pampreen said. The high should hit 27. The overnight low should fall to 17.
Saturday should be dry and warm, with a high of 29 and a low of 22.
Snow showers are possible on Sunday, but much of the day could be spent near or above the freezing point. The high could reach 38 degrees, and a low of 28 degrees is expected.
Between late Monday and early Tuesday, totals reported to the weather service included 5.8 inches in Ann Arbor; 4.9 in Berkley; 4.7 in Farmington Hills; 4.5 in Milford and Eastpointe; 4.4 in Garden City; 4 in Romulus, Brighton and Dearborn; and 3.1 in Roseville.
The conditions are believed to have contributed to at least one death.
A 49-year-old Royal Oak man with a history of health issues died early Tuesday after reportedly clearing snow from his driveway, police said
A number of communities, including Oak Park, Highland Park, Dearborn, Ferndale, Auburn Hills, and Sterling Heights have declared snow emergencies which require people to move their parked cars from the street, so streets can be plowed.