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Fresh Snow Blanket On Friday

DETROIT (WWJ) - It came a little late, but it came. Commuters dealt with blustery, hazardous driving conditions on Friday.  The storm is already moving away from Metro Detroit, according to Accuweather Meteorologist Dr. Joe Sobel who said the remainder of the day would be windy and cold.

Originally predicted to begin late last night, the storm took its time, blowing into Southeast Michigan at around 4 a.m.  

AccuWeather was correct in predicting a much heavier snowfall in areas south of I-94. Folks near the Ohio/Michigan border got the worst of the morning's snow storm. More than four inches of snow fell on Morenci in Lenawee County and Newport in Monroe County. Detroit saw more than 2 inches. Kalamazoo and Battle Creek each got 3 inches.

I94-M39-mdot
Traffic cam shows I-94 at M-39 @8:15 a.m. Courtesy, MDOT

Roadways were sick and snow-covered, with blowing and drifting snow a problem in many areas, Friday morning. Several minor spinout accidents had lanes closed on local freeways. 

Road crews were out early.  In middle of the worst of it, Howard Penrod, managing director of the Monroe County Road Commission, spoke live with WWJ.

"This storm has hit us pretty hard, again -- especially in the southern portion of our county, just as predicted. We're ready for it.  We've got everything that we can muster out there," Penrod said.

For the latest from the roads, visit our Traffic Page.

Reporting from a bus stop on West Davison at Livernois WWJ's Vickie Thomas said a three-foot high snow drift stood in the way of those trying to board.

The downriver area was was hit fairly hard. In Taylor, at Telegraph Road and Northline, a synthetic palm tree stood up against the blowing snow outside Key West Coney Island. There, WWJ's Mike Campbell spoke with employee, Deena Bryant, who said this month's weather has been bad for business.

"We're trying, and these are slow months anyway, so it's not helping anything.... When there's snow, people don't want to get out and go out and eat. They wanna stay in and hibernate," Bryant said.

Quite a few private schools and some public schools were closed.  - CLICK HERE FOR SCHOOL CLOSINGS -

For the latest, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 for Traffic and Weather on the 8s.  

Click here for Detroit Metro Airport information.

Here's the forecast:

Friday: Mostly cloudy and brisk. Light snow through 11 am. Highs 29 to 33. North winds 15 to 25 mph, diminishing to 10 to 20 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy during the evening. Cloudy overnight. A chance of flurries overnight. Lows 15 to 19. West winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming light and variable.

Saturday: Cloudy with the chance for a period of snow or flurries. High 29.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy. High 35. Monday: Cloudy with rain. High 43.

Click here to visit our weather page.

Related: Wayne Co. Road Commissioner Fired After Storm

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