DETROIT (WWJ) - The work week is expected to end with messy weather as yet another major winter storm carries the potential to blanket Metro Detroit in heavy and quickly accumulating snowfall on Thursday night into Friday evening.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said Friday will be "rotten," as the second major snowstorm in as many weeks takes aim at the same areas that were slammed with a historic ice storm in February and heavy, wet snow last Friday.
DeVore said a broad swath of snow will begin to move across the Central states beginning Wednesday before striking Michigan by the end of the week.
Forecasters said the Lower Peninsula sits in the zone they believe is most likely to pick up the heaviest accumulations with this storm.
"That snow now we're bringing it up to 4 to 8 inches for most of Metro Detroit into Friday evening," DeVore said.
While some areas, such as northeastern Wyoming through southern Wisconsin, could see up to two feet of snow, meteorologists said that amount is not anticipated for Southeast Michigan -- but it will be enough to cause travel troubles on the road and in the air.
"A 4 to 8 inch snowfall has some different characteristics than say this was coming down in December or January, but temperatures I think are going to be cold enough," DeVore explained. "They look like they're going to be right on that freezing mark and with the intensity of that situation, we're looking at problematic travel through the day and then certainly as we get into Friday night."
Meteorologists said there is still time for the forecast to adjust as temperatures may fall below or above freezing, which would mean the difference between heavy snow and torrential rainfall.
"If precipitation falls mainly as snow, significant disruptions are possible at the major travel hubs for the Friday morning commute," AccuWeather said in a update on Wednesday. "Flight delays and cancellations at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport or Detroit Metropolitan Airport could have a ripple effect at airports across the country."
While most of Southeast Michigan is forecasted to stay under a half a foot of snow, experts warn the probability for higher amounts is increasing.
The Metro Detroit area is still cleaning up and getting the lights back on after getting hit-back-to-back with severe winter weather in the last few weeks.
Lower Michigan was hit with an ice storm at the end of February that weighed down and damaged power lines, leaving 680,000 homes and business without power, including more than 630,000 in Metro Detroit.
On March 3, heavy wet snowfall blanketed the same areas and rapidly accumulated on roadways, homes and more. Powerlines and trees weakened by ice were further burdened by the heavy snow, which snapped branches and brought down overhead wires.
