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Winter Weather Advisory, Treacherous Road Conditions In Metro Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) -  Most of Metro Detroit is expected to get at least half-a-foot of snow by Thursday morning.

Oakland, Macomb, Leneway, Livingston, Wayne, Washtenaw and Monroe counties are all under a Winter Weather Advisory until noon Thursday, with light to moderate snow making roads very slick and reducing visibility at times.

Snowfall  in Metro Detroit is expected to intensify Wednesday evening and accumulate another two to four inches by midnight.

"The bad news is, it's not over yet — that's for sure," said WWJ AccuWeather Meteorologist John Feerick.  "We're going to see this snow continue right through the night tonight at varying rates."

"It's not going to seem all that intense," he added, "but by the time it's all said and done we're probably looking on the order of six to as much as ten inches of snow. I think we'll see less snow the farther north you head."

The heaviest snowfall is expected south of 8 Mile Road, Downriver and near the Ohio border.

Multiple spin-out accidents were reported on area freeways throughout the day — especially I-94 and the Lodge.

Wednesday afternoon, WWJ's Marty Bufalini reported that road conditions weren't getting any better.

"It's still very treacherous out there; and if you don't have to go out, I wouldn't go out," Bufalini said. "But if you are out, just give yourself a lot of time, and just be very, very careful."

Salt crews were on the move early in Wayne County.

"We actually had a partial staff call in at one thirty this morning, and then we called in the other staff around five thirty, six o'clock," said Cindy Dingell, with the Wayne County Department of Public Services. "So, we're ramping up the efforts and we're ready to address the day."

Dingell said the trucks are prepared and salt supplies are good, but holiday snow storms are pricey.

"There's always extra expense when there's a holiday," she said. "As we always tell folks, the more overtime and dollars that we burn up for winter maintenance, the less that we're gonna have for summer road projects. But we do our best to make ends meet and live within our budget."

As of 5 p.m., Wednesday, Snow Emergencies had been declared in Livonia, Lincoln Park, Brownstown Township, Flat Rock and Woodhaven.

Meantime, it's expected to get even colder in Southeast Michigan this week. Temperatures throughout the rest of the week will hover between 20 and 10 degrees, with some overnight lows in the single digits.

Here's the detailed forecast: 

Wednesday – Frigid with snow at times, accumulating 1-3 inches. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. High 18F.

Wednesday Night – Scattered flurries and snow showers, accumulating an additional 1-3 inches. Low around 15F.

Thursday – Some snow flurries in the morning will give way to cloudy skies in the afternoon. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. High 16F.

Thursday Night – Bitterly cold. Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Low 8F.

Friday – Sunny. High 16F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Friday Night – Generally fair. Low near 5F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

[CLICK HERE for live radar, the weekend forecast, and more].

Know before you go: Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s.

Sign up for severe weather text alerts: Text STORM to 95001
For daily weather forecast text alerts: Text FORECAST to 95001

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