Snow plowing crews out in force in Ann Arbor, across Washtenaw County as snow makes driving tough

The Washtenaw County Road Commission has its entire fleet of 46 trucks deployed this afternoon as snow falls across the area, said Jim Harmon, director of operations.

"Right now, we're focusing on primary roads," he said. "That's state highways in the county and major paved roadways."

The full fleet will stay on through 8 p.m., when a night crew of four drivers will take over and focus on state highways. The day shift will resume work at 4 a.m. to clear roads for the morning rush hour, Harmon said. Additional drivers could be called in overnight if needed, he said.

It's a snowy day in Ann Arbor, causing some traffic problems on area roadways.

Motorists can expect this afternoon's steady snowfall to continue in the area through the evening and taper off overnight after 3 to 5 inches has fallen, meteorologists say. Click here for traffic incident updates.

The weather prompted Ypsilanti Public Schools to cancel evening activities tonight. Some sporting events in local districts also were canceled.Â

The snow is keeping local police agencies busy. At 2 p.m., Washtenaw County dispatchers said they were sending units to five crashes, including one blocking eastbound M-14 at Barton Drive.

No injuries have been reported.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. Friday.

Harmon said all roads are passable at the moment but are getting more and more treacherous.

"We're just encouraging people slow down," he said. "Don't crowd the snowplows. Give them plenty of room to do their job and just pay attention. Avoid distracted driving."

Drivers will begin clearing residential areas and gravel roads once the major roads are clear, he said.

In the City of Ann Arbor, field operations supervisor Kirk Pennington said travel will become more treacherous during the evening rush hour when trucks have trouble keeping the roads clear because of traffic volumes.

A full day shift of 13 trucks is working to clear major roads, he said. Residential street clearing will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, he said.

Meteorologist Steve Freitag of the National Weather Service in White Lake Township said less than an inch of snow had fallen by 2 p.m. He said the snow will remain steady - picking up in intensity at points in the afternoon and evening. Ann Arbor area residents can expect to see 3 to 5 inches by morning, he said.

A bit north near M-59, about 6 inches is predicted.

Once the snow tapers off, residents will be forced to contend with continued cold temperatures. But there's good news on the horizon: Freitag said it will warm up by early next week, and we're even expected to see the sun.

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