DETROIT – Friday won't be fun, but it's not the end of the world either.
If this system ran through in January, we may not give it a second thought. But it's the first test of our winter driving skills, and we all know how this movie ends.
For commuters, the earlier you can get out of the house, the better. We'll start seeing snow and some rain develop south of 8 Mile Road by 6 a.m. By 8 a.m., most of us will be getting light snow, with rain holding on for the majority of our Metro Zone and part of our South Zone. Then expect mainly snow (with some Metro Zone rain) through mid-afternoon.
Precipitation lightens up for the drive home. We'll still see widely scattered snow showers, with some rain drops in the Metro Zone. Then expect mainly dry conditions before a final quick burst of light snow on Saturday morning.
Accumulations are a tough call. We can technically say there may be 1-2 inches, but it won't be on the roads. Lawns, patio tables and deck railings will get it, but the roads will generally be wet and possibly slushy in the North Zone. Our 4ZONE page breaks down those numbers.
Temperatures will start tomorrow near freezing, rise to the upper-30s by Friday afternoon then fall to the 20s by Saturday morning.
The weekend will be mainly dry after Saturday’s quick morning snow. But wind gusts will range from 30-40 mph in the morning with the snow. Highs both days will be in the mid-to-upper 30s with lows in the low-to-mid 20s.
Here’s some good news: That Tuesday system, which had us concerned, looks like it will mainly move east of us. We’ll get brushed with some light snow then but it does not look like a major impact