Metro Detroit Christmas snowstorm timeline: when to expect blizzard conditions

What is a blizzard? What to know ahead of the Christmas blizzard

This year's Christmas will be white - yes - but it will also be extremely dangerous. While we'll see snow, we'll also see dangerous winds and that's the biggest concern with this storm.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A dangerous snowstorm is blowing into Southeast Michigan this Christmas weekend and it will make travel extremely hazardous while possibly knocking out power throughout the area.

What to know about Michigan's Christmas weekend blizzard

The storm will bring blizzard conditions and will likely be classified as such. In order to get that distinction, it must meet three criteria:

The wind has to be over 35 mph
Falling snow has reduced visibility to under a quarter of a mile
All of this lasts for at least 3 hours

According to FOX 2's Derek Kevra, that seems likely.

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Thursday morning and afternoon

When you wake up Thursday morning, it may not be obvious that an impending snowstorm is about to bear down on Michigan.

You'll wake up to average temperatures - in the mid to upper 30s - and the skies will be cloudy. Then at noon, you'll start to notice a bit of a shift and you could see a bit of wintry mix flying around. This won't be the big stuff.

Thursday night

That wintry mix will switch over to a light rain for most of the area. With temperatures in the upper 30s, it's going to fall as rain throughout the evening and until midnight.

How to prepare your home and car for arctic conditions

Before you go to sleep, it may be a good idea to bring in any holiday inflatables in your hard - and make sure anything that's outside is nailed down.

The strong low pressure system that's about to arrive is going through a weather process called "Cyclogenesis" meaning the pressure of the system drops rapidly (24 mb) in 24 hours.

Friday morning

Overnight, that rain will switch over to snow and the wind will crank up to 20 MPH overnight. You will probably be woken up throughout the morning.

Beginning early Thursday night we'll see the storm start to move in, arriving initially as rain for some spots in Southeast Michigan. This rain will quickly switch over to heavy snow later Thursday night, and then it will continue, almost steadily until Saturday morning.

That "Cyclogenesis" will create an intense wind storm and in our case it will be combined with snow which will create blizzard conditions.

Preparing for a blizzard:

Friday afternoon and evening

It will not stop snowing. It's going to snow all day long but it's not just the snow that will be the story.

The winds are expected to gust to nearly 55 mph AND extreme cold. Wind chills will be near -10. So if you're outside, don't be out there for long.

The winds will also cause travel to be extremely difficult. Whether it's by car or plane, if you intend to travel on Friday I would strongly suggest you look at alternatives.

Saturday

You're going to wake up on Christmas Eve to…more snow falling. The good news is that the wind will eventually slow down on Saturday but it's still going to be bitter cold throughout the day.

We'll hit a high of just 17 degrees and a low down to 10. Combined with the wind, it's going to be terribly cold so you may want to wait for Christmas morning to shovel or use the snow blower.