Rain arrives Thursday as snow falls in northern Michigan

By FOX 2 News Staff

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -- While residents in northern lower Michigan brace for nearly a foot of snow, those of us here in southeast Michigan can expect to see only rain on Thursday.

Weather Authority Ben Bailey says conditions will be wet and windy throughout the day as temperatures reach a high of 48 degrees by early evening. Bailey says overnight temps will drop and the rain will eventually turn into snow. But with the wet ground, accumulations will be minimal.

Craig Bryson from the Oakland County Road Commission says a new insert on this season's salt trucks will allow crews to spread salt across three lanes of road instead of the usual one-and-a-half lanes. "We're ready to roll," says Bryson.

For parts of Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula, the weather service forecasts that 8 to 14 inches of snow will fall Thursday and into Friday. For parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the weather service says that 8 to 13 inches of snow could fall by Friday afternoon.

Winter weather watches and advisories are in effect. Winds that could blow snow are expected to contribute to hazardous driving conditions.

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