Winter weather advisory for Detroit area: Snow, then ice

As 2020 winds down, snow and ice overnight in Metro Detroit turned to a cold, steady rain.

A winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service forecast up to 2 inches of snow and a "light glaze" of ice before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Counties covered by the advisory include St. Clair, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee and Monroe.

The weather service predicted snow accumulation until 2 a.m., with the greatest amounts in the northern part of the region, followed by light freezing rain from 6-9 a.m. and then rain.

“We are expecting to have one to two inches of snow for the most part of the Metro area, and lesser snow totals the further south you go,” said Kyle Klein, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“For the ice accumulation with that freezing rain, we're thinking it's going to be more just light icing, like a little bit of a glaze, but probably enough that could cause slick roadways that aren't treated or ... just kind of make for a messy commute in general.”

The rest of Wednesday is predicted to have rain, with winds of 13-16 mph and a high of 40 degrees.

In northern Michigan, a couple of inches of snow are expected.

The weather service says the pattern could repeat itself early in the new year: Another round of snow, freezing rain changing to rain is forecast Friday and overnight into Saturday.

A winter storm began making its way across the Upper Midwest, including Nebraska, and Iowa on Tuesday, with Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas and South Dakota also preparing to be affected.

By Tuesday morning, western Nebraska had snow of up to 3 inches in some areas and 5 inches in others. The Nebraska Department of Transportation posted on Twitter, that people who did not need to travel should stay off the roads.

In Iowa, up to a foot of snow covered some parts of the state. Iowa State Patrol reported early Tuesday afternoon, that driving conditions were not safe and crashes were happening across the state amid heavy post-Christmas travel.

On Twitter, the Department of Transportation said if travel must be done in the areas that has been hit by the winter storm, to “buckle up, slow down and allow plenty of space between vehicles.”

According to public works director Jonathan Gano, the city of Des Moines is expected to see 8 inches of snow followed by some ice and another 4-5 inches by New Year’s Day.

Wisconsin is gearing up for snowfall of up to 10 inches in some areas and 3-6 inches in Milwaukee.