DETROIT – As the rain turned to sleet and sleet turned to snow, it seemed to be a recipe for disaster, but even as the lines on freeways and surface streets disappeared under inches of snow, drivers seemed to be holding their own.
Our Tim Pamplin saw some spinouts and a jackknifed semi in the late afternoon Thursday (Feb. 17), and this one seen in the video player above this evening closed I-275 near Metro Airport.
Other than that, there were no significant pileups or accidents like what we saw on Super Bowl Sunday when a few areas were hit fast with whiteout conditions.
“Seems like it’s going to get even worse, said Dearborn resident Nabil Ajami. “The snow is getting deep as my snowblower is barely moving.”
The horn blew in Dearborn Thursday (Feb. 17) night, declaring a snow emergency meaning all cars off the streets. City plows were already on the streets, and workers had smaller snow machines to work the sidewalks.
It’s the heavy wet snow throughout neighborhoods that are making things challenging.
“The snow is blowing, so it blinds you for a minute,” Ajami said.
Ajami expects the weather not to change. He is sure that he will have to get the snowblower out for this storm again.
My son gets up early for work,” Ajami said. “So I want to clean his truck and move it into the driveway.”
The weather has also made for a different kind of dream cruise as snowmobiles were zooming through Campus Martius and down Woodward Avenue.
At Detroit Metro Airport Thursday (Feb. 17) evening, crews are working around the clock to clear runways, but still, 277 flights have been canceled in the last 24 hours, according to flight aware.