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Southeast Michigan Thursday snow timeline: How much to expect

By and FOX 2 Staff
Published  February 13, 2024 2:26pm EST
Winter Weather
FOX 2 Detroit

Some light snow today but more expected on Thursday

Some areas will see rain but overall the ranges is between 1-4"

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Snow is expected to fall this weekend in Metro Detroit but – once again – how much snow we'll see largely depends on where the rain/snow line is.

Let's start by taking a look at the forecast for the week. Temperatures are going to be in the upper 30s and low 40s most of the week, as snow that's currently way out west starts to make its way east toward Michigan.

A few lake effect flurries blowing off of Lake Huron on Tuesday are nowhere close to what we'll see later this week. Those flurries were barely even considered flurries. 

But Thursday morning and afternoon is going to be a bit of a mess for metro Detroit and things will remain pretty quiet until Thursday morning. We'll see a few flakes start to fly around 8:30 or 9:00 but by 10:00 a.m., we expect to see a decent amount of snow starting to fall.

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As has seemingly been the case all season long, the amount of snow we'll see is entirely dependent on where the freeze line is.

At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, the freeze line will be right over the middle of Wayne County.

How much rain will we see – and will it mix in with the snow? If it does, the snow totals will be lower.

If the rain line stays where it is, we expect Detroit to see only about 1.5 inches of snow.

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Meanwhile, for cities like Pontiac and Howell, they're looking at double that – while Lansing and Ionia are expected to see around 4 inches or even higher.

Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, Genesee, and Lapeer are all expected to see around 3 inches or more.

Wayne, Washtenaw, Monroe, and Jackson Counties can all expect around 2 inches or less.

And for Monroe and Lenawee Counties, they'll likely get less than an inch of snow. 

But again, that all depends on the freezing line. If it moves farther south, more snow could fall in Oakland and Macomb – farther north, and Wayne County is looking for even more rain.