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Winter Weather Advisory through late morning
Messy start to Thursday morning with snow covered roadways, blowing and drifting snow and bitter cold temperatures. The Winter Weather Advisory expires at 10 am with drier conditions this afternoon. We're in store for another cold night tonight!
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Commuters should plan ahead and expect their trip to work to take longer than usual thanks to a snow band that dumped and continues to dump flakes across Southeast Michigan.
The National Weather Service ordered this season's first Winter Weather Advisory for metro Detroit with Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw Counties all under alert on Thursday morning.
And more snow is expected until mid-morning with the bulk of it falling by 8-9 a.m. on Thursday.
Where is it snowing?
The primary source of snow is a system traveling along the I-96/I-696 corridor, as well as parts of I-94 and I-75.
Communities that will get hit the most include those along the county lines between Wayne and Macomb and Oakland.
For some areas, up to an inch of snowfall is expected per hour during the most intense periods.
Weather advisory ordered for metro Detroit.
Most communities will see between 3-5 inches of snow.
School closures are in effect for dozens of communities. See the list here.
Cold temps and windy conditions
There is also visibility loss on the roads, which makes taking it slow all the more important until things start to melt - which isn't expected until this weekend.
Temperature highs will land around 21 degrees on Thursday with a wind chill making it feel even colder.
The wind gusts have reached as high as 35 mph, according to the NWS.
All of this amounts to slick roads, especially on bridges and overpasses.
Slippery Road conditions
There are traffic jams on multiple highways that could make getting around even harder for those heading into the office on Thursday.
Tap here for a live traffic radar
They include:
- Construction at Northbound I-75 between Sibley Road in southern Wayne County
- Slow driving at Westbound I-94 at M-39
- A crash at I-96 at Telegraph that could create delays up to 30 minutes
- I-75/I-696 interchange is seeing slow conditions all over
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Slick road conditions around Detroit
There were crashes reported near Ford Street as well as Telegraph at I-96 as commuters awoke to slippery conditions in Southeast Michigan.
Wayne County Public Transit
A bill that would expand public transit in Wayne County by removing the opt-out function that some communities use to avoid paying into the system cleared the Michigan House on Tuesday.
Clearing the legislative hurdle by a party-line vote, HB 6088 would end the patchwork of SMART bus stops that has acted as a barrier toward more cohesive transit in Southeast Michigan.
More than a dozen communities do not buy into transit in Wayne County, including major communities like Canton Township and Livonia. Detroit also opts out, but they have their own transit system.
The bill still needs to clear the Michigan Senate, which could find itself very busy next week as the legislature prepares to go home for the year.
Wayne County public transit expansion inches closer to reality after bill clears Michigan House
There are 17 communities that could be impacted by the legislation if lawmakers approve the bill, which would eliminate the opt-out function that has created a patchwork of bus stops in Wayne County
Livonia business narrowly avoids $82k scam
In Stock Marketing has been in business in Livonia for a while and, while they're no strangers to scams and hacks, what owner Larry Stock encountered recently nearly have cost him his business.
Stock's company stitches and embroiders thousands of shirts at the Livonia shop. But a hacker who weaved their way into an email thread between Stock and his vendor. Suddenly, Stock's future was murky, at best.
His communication with a scammer became suspect only after noting the email address changed during his exchange over an order. But by then, he had wired $82,000 to the wrong person.
It required waiting the longest night of his life before learning his bank had managed to cancel the transfer. It's still unclear how Stock managed to avoid losing it forever.
Livonia business narrowly escapes $82K scam - how is a mystery
A Livonia business was caught in a scam that could have cost him his business. How he escaped is a bit of a mystery
Firebombing still unsolved months later
Newly released video from May 9th shows a devastating firebombing that remains unsolved. Authorities hoping to catch these criminals who threw two Molotov cocktails through the window of this home on Fielding Street and set the home on fire.
Luckily, no one was home at the time - but damage inside was done. "They bashed the window and it sounded like the glass broke and they threw something in, I guess," said neighbor Shaakira McElrath.
"You can hear his voice, look at him on fire,'" said Misty, another neighbor, watching video that appeared to show one of the suspects catching himself on fire.
The victim, Asia Hunter, says her house has been in her family for 37 years on Detroit's west side.
Flag-planting felony in Ohio
A felony? For planting a flag on their field? Come on Ohio. Ohio State University is still hurting from that stinging loss to the University of Michigan, and it appears it's not done griping about the rivalry loss.
The brouhaha that stemmed from the end of the UM-OSU game when Wolverine football players attempted to plant their flag at the center of the field is still making waves - this time in the Ohio legislature.
House Bill 700 would revise the penal code of Ohio to make planting a flagpole and a flag in the center of horse shoe stadium a crime.
Aptly named the O.H.I.O. Sportsmanship Act, it states "No person shall plant a flagpole with a flag attached to it in the center of the football field at Ohio stadium of the Ohio state university on the day of a college football competition, whether before, during, or after the competition," the bill reads. "Whoever violates this section is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree."
Ohio lawmaker introduces bill to make planting flag at OSU stadium a felony
A felony? For planting a flag on their field? Come on Ohio.
Live on FOX 2
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Daily Forecast
Snow is expected to fall until mid-Thursday morning - and should clear up by noon. But freezing temperatures means the white stuff will stick around at least until the weekend when things get warmer.
What else we're watching
- A Detroit Tigers pitcher will be at Children's Hospital of Michigan for a Kids Kicking Cancer event that includes teaching non-contact martial arts to pediatric patients.
- Michigan State Police's "Stuff a Blue Goose" toy drive is Dec. 12 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Anyone hoping to participate should go to the Live Rite Resource Center in Roseville.
- Seeing the Lions play the Bills this weekend will cost you something - a lot of something, thanks to massive stakes and a possible Super Bowl preview. Here's how much they cost.
- A judge has dismissed charges against two election workers who were accused of taking steps to allow people to vote twice in the 2024 summer primary.
- SAY Detroit is celebrating its 13th annual radiothon at Somerset Collection in Troy.
Monarch butterfly: Should they be given federal protections?
Monarch butterflies will potentially be listed on the threatened species list by the end of next year.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announced it will consider extending federal protections to the butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change.
"The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating life cycle," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dir. Martha Williams said in a news release. "Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance."