Detroit, Michigan – A prolonged late-January winter pattern could bring accumulating snow and significant travel disruptions across the Great Lakes region as colder air and active storm systems take hold.
According to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, much of the Great Lakes region is included in a slight risk for heavy snow from Saturday through the following Friday, signaling an increased likelihood of one or more impactful winter systems. The risk spans areas surrounding Lakes Michigan, Superior, Erie, and Ontario, including parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and western New York.
Near Lake Michigan, including Chicago and northwest Indiana, lake-enhanced snow could intensify snowfall rates, quickly reducing visibility along Interstates 90 and 94. Similar conditions are possible across eastern Wisconsin and western Michigan, where wind direction will play a key role in localized impacts.
In Michigan and northern Ohio, including Detroit and Cleveland, colder-than-normal temperatures favor snow as the dominant precipitation type. Multiple rounds of snow could lead to cumulative impacts on highways such as I-75, I-80, and I-90, as well as delays at major airports.
State transportation agencies across the Great Lakes urge residents to monitor road conditions closely, limit unnecessary travel during snow, and prepare vehicles with winter emergency supplies. With sustained cold expected, snow that falls is likely to linger between systems.
More refined snowfall outlooks and potential winter weather advisories are expected as the late-January window approaches, with clearer timing and impacts becoming available by early next week.
