Heavy snowfall arrives in Detroit: When to shovel

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Between 4 and 7 inches of snow are about to fall for most of us in Metro Detroit, with some seeing even more. As you head to bed, you may be dreading the thought of lifting all of that snow in the morning.

The good news is we have some advice for the best way for you to handle all this snow.

The snow started in Metro Detroit around 3:30 p.m. but was mostly light. That all changes as we get later in the day.

The drive home on Wednesday is going to be slick with snow falling and starting to crank up. While the heaviest of the snow will fall while we're asleep, you can make Thursday morning easier.

When to shovel the snow?

Don't save it all for tomorrow morning. Do it in small doses.

Yes, you'll be that house that seems to continually clear the snow tonight and tomorrow, but you could also be the home that doesn't need ibuprofen later in the day.

The first time to get out and shovel will be around 8 p.m. 

That won't be a lot to clear and should be relatively simple. But it's going to make your life a lot easier.

Before you head to bed, take 20 minutes and go clear it again. 

Because once you're sleeping, the heavy stuff starts.

Between 1 and 3 a.m., it's going to be heavy across metro Detroit as we go from about 3 inches on the ground at 10 p.m. to 5 inches at 1 a.m.

Then when you get up, shovel one more time.

This should be a couple of inches to clear, making life a lot easier.

In other words, you could do half tonight and then half in the morning.