Heavy Snow Expected In Metro Detroit Friday: New Snowfall Predictions

METRO DETROIT — Forecasters are growing more confident a major snowstorm will dump several inches of snow across southeastern Michigan on Friday.

A winter storm watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for all of southeastern Michigan from noon Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday.

Heavy wet snow will move into southeastern Michigan sometime around noon on Friday, and could hammer the region with 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour over a short 3 to 6 hour span, the weather service said.

Metro Detroit areas south of Interstate 69 could see 5 to 8 inches of snow with a light glaze of ice accumulations, the weather service said. Areas north of Interstate 69 could see 6 to 10 inches of snow.

Areas south of metro Detroit toward the Ohio border are expected to more rain and less snowfall, as forecasters believe that's where the rain/snow transition zone will line up, the weather service said.

However, forecasters warned any change in the storm's momentum or strength in the Midwest could cause the heavy snow band to shift farther to the north or south in the region, significantly impacting snow totals.

Forecasters warned the heaviest Friday snowfall could come by during the afternoon and evening hours, greatly impacting the rush hour commute, the weather service said.

Meteorologists also warned residents seeking air travel Friday to keep an eye on flights, as they expect the storm will cause numerous delays and cancellations across airports in Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee.

While temperatures could reach the upper 30s across southeastern Michigan during the snowstorm, strong winds with gusts up to 45 miles per hour will keep temperatures feeling like they're in the 20s, the weather service said.

The winter storm comes just after a week when an ice storm slammed the metro Detroit area with ice accumulations not seen in nearly 50 years, leading to more than 630,000 power outages in the area. As of Thursday morning, there were still nearly 8,000 people in the metro Detroit area without power, according to DTE Energy.