6-8 inches of snow likely for most areas of SE Michigan

6 to 10 inches common

DETROIT – A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for Detroit and all of Southeast Michigan except Sanilac County from now until 4 am ET, Monday, December 12!

The earliest heavy snow in recent memory is hitting the Detroit area Sunday morning and will last all day. Heavy snow will keep roads and highways treacherous, especially for football fans trying to and from Ford Field!

Please join me on Twitter (@AndrewLocal4) for regular weather updates.

Big snow Sunday

Light snow develops and rapidly becomes more widespread for early-risers during the pre-dawn hours between 3am and 6am ET. Temps will be in the low 20s. Anyone expecting and early flight arriving or leaving right when Detroit Metro opens may be the only people with close-to-on-time flights. After the 7:53am ET sunrise, things go downhill quickly.

The rest of Sunday morning gets snowier and more hazardous. Any diehard Lions fans who tailgate or want to appear at the 1pm ET football game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field must leave for the arena super-early. It is best to leave, at least, 1 hour earlier than you normally do. Be extremely careful on the roads. Give road crews and snow plows an extremely wide berth. Plan on driving at least 20mph under the speed limit. 1 to 3 inches will have fallen across much of the region by the early afternoon.

Heavy periods of snow are possible during the afternoon as the storm intensifies during the day and moves from west to east. Moisture from the south will be fed into the system and collide with cold air. Visibility will be very low, at times. After the Lions game, heavy snow remains possible with highs near 30 degrees. 3 to 5 inches of snow will have fallen by dinnertime.

Families who elected to remain indoors all day to watch football, stay by the fireplace, read a book and/or sip hot cocoa will made the wisest choice of all. 4 to 8 inches of total snowfall will be common by the middle and end of Sunday night. As drier air gets pulled in, snow becomes lighter and more scattered by midnight.

Snow totals

Snow totals of 6 inches or more will be common: 6 to 8 inches are possible anywhere south of M-59/Hall Road; Pontiac southward, southern Oakland County and Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties (including the City Of Detroit).

4 to 6 inches will be common in Livingston County  and in neighborhoods north of M-59 into The Thumb.

After the storm

Monday will have scattered lingering flurries or light snow early, but the rest of the day will be mostly cloudy to partly sunny. Highs will be near 35 degrees.

Tuesday will be partly sunny and cold. Morning temps in the 20s. Afternoon temps in the low 30s.

Arctic blast

Polar air arrives Wednesday and for the rest of the week. The leading cold front brings snow showers Wednesday with highs near 20 degrees; wind chills in the single digits.

Thursday and Friday will be bitterly cold with wind chills below zero. Late night and morning temps will be in the single digits. Daytime highs will be in the middle teens under partly to mostly sunny skies.

Local 4Casters weather app:

Remember to download the FREE Local4Casters weather app. Just go to your app store and search for "WDIV." Our local radar pops up as soon as you open the app. It is the perfect resource for traveling because you have the power to monitor 4 Live Radar anywhere in the nation.

Also, download our FREE Storm Pins app so you can take and share weather photos and videos. Just pin Storm Pins to a map so the Local4Casters can share them and give you a TV shoutout. Feel free to share pictures and clips with other Storm Pins users, too.

The FREE Local4Casters Weather and Storm Pins apps are the perfect way to make weather more social.

Weather links: