Winter weather in Michigan: Expect rain-snow mix on New Year's Eve
(FOX 2) - New Year's Eve is looking like a messy one in Southeast Michigan with a band of winter weather expected to arrive Tuesday morning.
It will carry over into the evening, starting with rain before transitioning to snow as temperatures fall.
Most of Washtenaw, Livingston, and Oakland counties can expect between 1–2 inches of snow, while Wayne County will see around 1 inch of snow.
That means travel impacts, slushy accumulations, and uncertain conditions for weather on the last night of the year.
Winter Weather Timeline
The National Weather Service expects rain to pick up around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, picking up in precipitation as the morning and afternoon progress.
Expect only rain until about 4 p.m.
After that, precipitation will switch to snow around 5 p.m., carrying on until Wednesday morning.
Over that time, temperatures will fall from around 38 degrees by midday Tuesday to freezing by nightfall.
When the clock strikes midnight, it will be about 25 degrees.
Where Southeast Michigan gets snow
While everyone will be hit with rain, snowfall will range a bit more due to temperature fluctuations remaining warm enough to keep it from sticking.
The NWS expects a strip of metro Detroit stretching from Adrian, Ann Arbor, and Howell up to Bad Axe in the thumb to get up to two inches of snow.
The outer areas, including Saginaw and Bay City to the north and Detroit and Monroe to the south, will see about an inch at most.
Northern Lights over Michigan on New Year's Eve? It's likely if clouds don't get in the way
There's a strong geomagnetic storm predicted for Tuesday night, which typically means a good chance of seeing the northern lights - as long as clouds aren't in the sky.