Cold, Snowy Weekend Ahead for Metro Detroit

METRO DETROIT, MI — By the time Monday dawns, Metro Detroit could have as much as seven inches of snow — the first significant accumulation of the season, the National Weather Service said Friday.

In a hazardous weather statement, the NWS said snow showers that are expected to begin Friday and continue into Saturday may result in minor accumulations of snow before a prolonged period of snow begins Sunday morning. Depending on how the storm tracks, it could continue into the Monday morning commute.

Here’s what’s ahead:

Friday night: 50 percent chance of scattered showers, increasing clouds, with a low round 26 and west wind around 9 mph.

Saturday: 50 percent chance of snow showers before 11 a.m., then a chance of snow flurries; mostly cloudy with a high near 28; west wind 7-11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Saturday night: 60 percent chance of snow after 1 a.m.; cloudy, with a low around 23; southwest wind around 7 mph; new snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Should you warm up your car on cold mornings? There are two schools of thought on this:

• Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Idle Your Car on Cold Mornings
• Here’s Why You Should Warm Up Your Car on Cold Mornings

Sunday: 70 percent chance of snow; cloudy with a high near 31; south wind 7 to 10 mph; new snow accumulation of around 3 inches possible. Sunday night: 70 percent chance of snow, cloudy with a low around 28; additional accumulation of around 3 inches possible.

Monday: 50 percent chance of snow, mixing with rain after noon, then gradually ending; cloudy with a high near 36.

Photo by thelittleone417 via Flickr Commons