A swath of southeast Michigan was under a winter weather advisory early Thursday, with more snow forecasted this weekend. The weather forced more than two dozen school districts, including Detroit, and many other charter, private, and parochial institutions to close. And some motorists had to start their mornings by scraping a film of ice from their windshields. Corewell Health, formerly Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, set out a sign with a penguin on it in front of one of its buildings, urging "Caution!
Ice and snow," and advised pedestrians to "walk like a penguin. National Weather Service forecasters said that by early morning, many of the main roads seemed to have been salted, although many residential streets β and many parking lots β had not.
The heaviest icing Thursday, the weather service said, was expected near the Ohio border, with up to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation. More: 9 things you shouldn't leave in your car during cold, winter weather. Radio news reported several spinouts throughout the area. The slippery ice is expected to melt away as the temperatures warm up above freezing to about 36 degrees, with wind gusts of about 35 mph.
Until then, with all the ice, Thursday could be a bonanza for plaintiff's attorneys. More precipitation, about inches of snow, is forecasted this weekend, starting Saturday afternoon, possibly falling into early Sunday.
What's interesting about snowfall in metro Detroit this winter β compared with average statistics from previous ones β for those who may be wondering is that so far, it has been not quite half β a foot less β of what it usually is, That has been a relief to residents without snow blowers. Drier air works into the region later this morning ending lingering freezing drizzle to the south and light snow to the But, total precipitation, the measure of the snow melted down and rainfall, is about the same this year compared with what is considered normal, 4.
