Winter storm expected to hit Saturday in Metro Detroit

Get your snow shovels, blowers, salt ready for Saturday

DETROIT – Saturday's winter storm is not a "classic" storm in many respects, but the computer models are finally starting to come into better agreement.

Normally when I talk about an approaching winter storm, there's a distinct "L" on the map, showing an area of low pressure tracking this way. But that's not the straight forward story this time.

Yes, there is a low that will travel from the Oklahoma/Kansas border right along the Ohio River to our south, but at the same time, a second low will develop in Mississippi and head toward the mid-Atlantic coast. The first low will transfer some of its energy to the second low, which will become the primary storm, and sock New England.

There are other things to discuss, such as jet stream phasing, but I'll spare you those details.

The snow will begin Friday night, and should fall most of the day Saturday before tapering off to snow showers Saturday evening. I think the metro area will get a general 3-to-5-inch snowfall, and perhaps slightly more well south of Detroit.

Fortunately, the wind doesn't look too strong, and even temperatures will rebound into the mid to upper 20s. So, unless you need to get from Point A to Point B in a timely manner, Saturday will be a great day for the kids (and even some adults) to play in the snow!

And by the way, most ski resorts across the state should be open this weekend, and I hear that conditions are great.

Weather links:

· Detailed forecast

· Radar


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