A winter storm heading to Michigan this week is expected to bring a mixture of freezing rain, snow and some sleet. An ice storm warning will be in effect beginning Wednesday morning.
The entire state is likely to be affected by the incoming winter storm. The storm will bring snow to the northern portions of the state, while mid-Michigan is likely to see heavy rain and ice.
Brandon Hoving, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, says some areas may accumulate as much as half an inch of ice.
“Your worst conditions are expected late on Wednesday, so we don't want people to get caught off guard here with the Wednesday evening commute,” he said. “People heading into work tomorrow morning thinking nothing's going on. And this precipitation will come in pretty quick and pretty heavy.”
According to Hoving the heaviest ice will be between I-96 and I-94 with scattered power outages possible in that area due to the ice and strong winds.
“Wednesday and Wednesday night, we're going to have gusty winds from the northeast, around 20 miles per hour potentially gusting over 40,” he said.
The central and northern-lower parts of the Lower Peninsula could see anywhere between six to 12 inches of snow.
“The heaviest snow accumulation are likely to occur near north of M-46,” Hoving added.
On Thursday, highs around 50 are likely, with potentially strong winds, anywhere between 35 to 50 miles per hour. Hoving says a cold blast with snow is expected this weekend.