Metro Detroit Sees 10 Inches Of Snow, Closing Over 300 Schools

DETROIT — Southeast Michigan is digging itself out from under a record snowfall Tuesday after the area received about 10 inches of snow over the course of the last two days.

The two-day stretch included 7.2 inches of snow on Monday, which beat an 1898 record for snowfall in the Motor City by more than two inches. The snowfall, combined with heavy winds and freezing temperatures, prompted more than 300 schools in the Metro Detroit area to close Tuesday.

Several municipalities in the region issued snow emergencies, requiring residents to avoid parking on streets so city or town snow plows could effectively clear roadways after the storm.

In Detroit, residents scheduled to receive COVID-19 vaccines saw their appointments moved to Saturday.

"We felt this was the right approach to deal with the fact that getting to TCF tomorrow could be very difficult for a lot of people," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said. "Rather than have to reschedule a lot of people who might miss their appointment weeks down the road, it just made sense to shift everyone at once to a day weather should not be an issue."

Metro Detroit also has seen some sporadic power outages, with DTE reporting small clusters of outages throughout the area.

Michigan State Police at the Metro Post has told residents to drive slowly due to the inclement weather.

"Well as expected spin outs are slowly creeping up as the morning continues," officials said in a tweet Tuesday. "As roads start to clear up, keep your speeds down. Blowing snow will keep roads slippery through the afternoon and evening. Troopers are continuing to help those drivers stuck in the ditch."

What's Next

After getting dumped on with snow, Metro Detroit isn't exactly in the clear yet. The heavy snow will taper off by Tuesday afternoon and gusty winds diminishing as well, but temperatures will struggle to rise above the single digits when wind chills are factored in, according to the National Weather Service in Detroit.