SOUTHFIELED (WWJ) -- It was a tough drive around Metro Detroit, Wednesday afternoon, with snow falling quickly across much of the area, and crashes reported on every major freeway.
The National Weather Services issued a Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 10 p.m., saying snow totals of 1-3 inches have been reported across portions of Southeast Michigan. An additional 1-2 inches of snow accumulation will be possible through this evening.
One of the hardest-hit spots has been Oakland County, where authorities warned the public to avoid driving unless they have to.
Some trouble spots: Bloomfield Township Police told drivers to avoid Telegraph Rd. between Lone Pine and Long Lake due to icy conditions.
During the mid-afternoon, Lahser Rd. was closed between Maple Rd. and Quarton Rd.
As the afternoon commute began, WWJ's Tony Ortiz and Tracey McCaskill were joined live by Craig Bryson, spokesperson for the Road Commission for Oakland County.
He said it's pretty messy out there.
"One of the big problems we're seeing right now is that because we've had so much snow falling so hard, everybody is driving slowly and so our trucks can't get through, the traffic any faster than anybody else," Bryson said.
"I was just a little while ago sitting on I-696, right, happened to be right behind one of our trucks going 5 miles an hour. So, you know, he obviously wasn't doing much salting at that point."
He said while they knew it was going to snow on Wednesday, they didn't anticipate it getting quite this bad. In any case, he said salt trucks are out in force.
"Right now we've got about 70 or 80 trucks out countywide, and we're gonna keep them out," Bryson said.
"The end of our regular shift would be at 3:30, but we're gonna keep, a large majority of those trucks out into the evening, until we get this all cleaned up."
What are the trouble spots in Oakland County?
"It's all over," Bryson said. "I can tell you, I-96 and 696 are very slow. The surface streets all over are pretty much, covered and, and, moving slowly. he salt where it's, we're able to put it down is working well, but it's taken us some time to get that salt down."
The National Weather Services said in a Special Weather Statement that snow will affect the Metro Detroit area through the rest of the afternoon, as temperatures will slowly drop through the 20s.
Forecasters warn that untreated roads and other paves surfaces will be snow covered and icy — so give yourself extra time if you have to go anywhere.
Looking ahead, AccuWeather said there could be a bit more snow or flurries overnight, when bitter cold temps will plummet all the way down to 14 degrees, feeling more like zero with the wind chill.
On Thursday, Metro Detroit will see breezy conditions with a leftover flurry or two, and a high of only 24 degrees.
We will have all the updates on AM 950. Before you hit the road, tell your smart speaker to "play WWJ nine-fifty" or stream WWJ live on the free Audacy app of traffic updates, every 10 minutes on the 8s. >>LISTEN LIVE