Ten to 20 inches of snow are expected across west Michigan from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.
“Wind gusts of over 50. Wind average speeds probably sustained in that 30-35 mph. So, visibility’s going to be the impactful part of this event.”
But as Jerry Byrne, Deputy managing Director of Operations for the Kent County Road Commission points out, the National Weather Service is indicating the event will begin late Thursday afternoon as rain quickly freeze as temperatures plummet.
“A couple degree change in temperature is going to change what we’re going to do. We need to be mobile and agile to make that switch on the go and it could be different in the south part of the county compared to what it is at 22 Mile.”
As the storm approaches, Byrne is offering this advice.
“Your last-minute shopping should have wrapped up last night. But if it hasn’t, you need to do it this morning. You need to run your errands. You need to get it done before the freezing rain hits, the snow hits and the visibility becomes a problem.”
If you must head out, and visibility drops to zero, Byrne says you must pay full attention to driving.
