Detroit winter storm timeline: 4 to 7 inches of snow starting on Wednesday

Winter storm expected to hit Wednesday afternoon

How much snow will we get? Derek Kevra has the numbers.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The sleds, snowblowers, shovels, and snow plows should all be ready. Metro Detroit is about to get its biggest blast of snow this season.

So far, Metro Detroit is more than 13 inches below the average snowfall this time of year, and Wednesday night's snowstorm is about to make a big dent in that deficit.

Big picture view:

The snow system that we have been watching this week is developing over the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and is taking direct aim at Southeast Michigan.

After a dry day on Tuesday and a dry start to Wednesday, you're going to start seeing the snow starting to fly around school pickup time.

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As we're now about 24 hours away from the snow starting, we have a better idea of where the freezing rain line is: it looks to be right over Cleveland and Lake Erie, which is why numbers are increased for us.

By the time it's all said and done, we expect to see roughly half of a foot of snow for most of us.

Winter blast incoming for Wednesday overnight into Thursday

Alan Longstreet gives the forecast on how much snow we are expecting - and a possible second storm for Saturday.

Timeline:

The snow will start to fly in Metro Detroit around 3 p.m. on Wednesday but it won't have much of an impact immediately.

By the time busses drop off the kids, we'll have a trace amount of snow. But it will start stacking quickly.

As you're winding down for the evening, we're looking at a couple of inches of snow by 8 p.m.

But if you're night owl and you poke your head out around midnight or 1 a.m., we'll have 5 or 6 inches of snow!

By 8 a.m., grab your coffee and shovel because you've got close to 7 inches of snow to clear.

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Ultimately, Metro Detroit will see between 4 and 7 inches of snow, with people farther south and east getting less while those living north and west seeing much more.

In fact, some people could see as much as 9 inches of snow.

What's next:

This will be Metro Detroit's biggest snow storm of the season and keep your tools handy because more snow is coming on Saturday.