DETROIT (WWJ) - Chilly temperatures, heavy flurries and slippery roads are greeting Metro Detroiters on their morning commute after snow moved into the area overnight on Friday.
All of Southeast Michigan remains under a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service that has been extended to 4 p.m. on March 10.
The original advisory was set to expire at 2 p.m. on Friday.
According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dean DeVore, heavier bands of snow are expected to impact the area with accumulations estimated between four to eight inches.
As temperatures hover just below freezing, DeVore warned that slush on the roadways can quickly turn to icy patches and create dangerous travel conditions.
"My cautionary tone would be that the temperature is below freezing everywhere that I see in Metro Detroit and as low as 30 in a lot of places," DeVore said. "The main roads look just wet, but I would be very careful on some of these secondary and neighborhood roads that are hiding some sneaky icy spots out there this morning."
The NWS issued a Hazardous Outlook bulletin just before 7 a.m. cautioning that steady moderate snow with heavier bursts are expected to continue moving through the area.
"Accumulations of 1 to 2 inches, with localized three inch totals, are expected from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.," experts advised. "Rates near one inch per hour at times will lead to snow cover on untreated roads and may be able to cover treated roads as well."
Motorists are urged to use caution and account for the hazardous driving conditions by allowing extra time.
WWJ traffic reported KT said many vehicles have already slid off roadways and ended up in ditches around Metro Detroit.
"In Southfield, there's a crash on I-696 westbound at Southfield Road, looking through the Triple A Jam Cam seeing a single file in the right lane as you move by," KT said. "Now on I-696 you have wet roads near Woodward and as you make that curve at Southfield Road, you have maybe three out of the four lanes covered in snow and then it's wet roads again as you make your way through the work zone."
"US-23 southbound between Hyne Road and I-96, two reported crashes off into the right ditch. Also another one off into the right ditch -- this is US-23 southbound near nine mile."
KT said traffic in Ann Arbor, moving through US-23, M-14 and I-94, are all traveling at just about 45 miles an hour.
The Road Commission for Oakland County stated they called their crews in at midnight to help prepare the roads prior to the winter storm.
Workers are currently out plowing and salting roads to keep them safe, but the RCOC urged drivers to use extreme caution while traveling on Friday morning.
The snowfall is also causing headaches for travelers headed to the airport. According to Flight Aware, Detroit Metro is reporting 30 delays and 22 total cancellations as of 7:30 a.m.
The City of Dearborn Heights is one of many Metro Detroit cities that declared a snow emergency beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday. Similar alerts have also been issued in Center Line, Garden City, Inkster and South Lyon.
