Storm dumps 4-6 inches on Ann Arbor; morning commute is treacherous

The Ann Arbor area got hammered with 4 to 6 inches of snow overnight, leading to accidents and school closings this morning.

Perhaps the silver lining is the bulk of the snow has fallen earlier than expected, and the total predicted remains at 5 to 8 inches.

Ann Arbor residents awoke to 4 to 6 inches of snow this morning.

File photo: Juliana Keeping | AnnArbor.com

Michigan State Police Sgt. Chris Pascoe said road conditions have led to run-offs and crashes on both expressways and secondary roads across the county.

"It's really bad all over," Pascoe said. "Washtenaw County has been really hammered."

As of 9 a.m., reported snowfall totals were 5.2 inches in Saline, 6 inches in Milan, and 6.8 inches in Ann Arbor.

Nearly every school district is closed today, including Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Whitmore Lake, and Washtenaw Technical Middle College. Many private and charter schools also called off classes for the day.

Ann Arbor students were already off this week for winter break.

The Washtenaw County Road Commission had an overnight crew on duty Sunday night and called employees to report to work at 3 a.m. today, said Jim Harmon, director of operations for the road commission. The entire fleet of 46 trucks has been out, focusing on the expressways and main thoroughfares, Harmon said.

"We're making some progress," he said at 7:40 a.m. "We'll be at it all day."

Harmon said about 5 inches of snow had fallen by 4 a.m., and although the snow has lightened, the roads remain slippery and snow-covered.

Crews will move on to secondary roads and subdivisions once the highways and main roads are in good shape, Harmon said.

Meteorologist Steve Considine of the National Weather Service at White Lake Township said the heaviest snow fell overnight in the Ann Arbor area. He said snow will continue falling through the morning and early afternoon, tapering off between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The winter storm warning, originally set to expire at 7 p.m., has been moved up to 4 p.m.

So far this winter, the road commission has spent about $1.6 million on winter maintenance, including plowing state highways and county roads, Harmon said.

"That's slightly below where we thought we'd be, so it will help us go into the spring and summer road construction season," Harmon said. "Winter is certainly not over, so we may see a few storms in March and even April. We've planned for that and have adequate resources."