Alpena, MI – Drivers across northern Michigan have less than 12 hours to prepare before heavy snow and ice begin freezing roads by 1 a.m. Wednesday, threatening both the morning and evening commutes with whiteout conditions and possible power outages.
According to the National Weather Service in Gaylord, a Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday for much of northern Lower Michigan and eastern Upper Michigan. Snow totals will range from 4 to 8 inches in Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Montmorency and Alpena counties, with up to one-tenth of an inch of ice. In Chippewa and Mackinac counties, snowfall could reach 5 to 9 inches. Wind gusts may peak near 40 mph.
Heaviest snow is expected near the Lake Huron shoreline, including Alpena and Presque Isle counties, where blowing snow could drop visibility below a half mile at times. In the eastern Upper Peninsula, strong winds combined with wet, heavy snow may snap tree limbs and down power lines, creating scattered outages from Sault Ste. Marie to Mackinac Island.
Roads, including stretches of US-23, I-75 and M-28, are likely to become slick before daybreak Wednesday. MDOT crews will treat highways, but drivers should delay non-essential travel, carry emergency supplies and allow extra braking distance.
Warnings remain in effect until 10 p.m. Wednesday, and additional advisories could follow as conditions evolve.
