'Flash Freeze': Winter Storm Arrives In Detroit, SE Michigan

DETROIT, MI – A frightful winter storm, with "flash freezing" rain, has begun, warned the Michigan State Police on Friday morning. The state police also warned drivers on Metro Detroit roads and freeways to use extra caution as the roads get slick.

"You should double the following distance between yourself and the car in front of you. Slow it down, watch the aggressive lane changes and let’s be careful out there!" warned state police in a tweet sent just after 8 a.m. Friday.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service forecasted the winter storm to hit southeast Michigan on Friday morning, creating an icy mess with rain turning to sleet turning to snow at midday. And, by all indications, the weather service was spot on.

Strong north winds of 20 to 30 mph were expected to cause temperatures to plummet rapidly, warned the National Weather Service. And, indeed, the temperature dropped from 45 degrees to 35 within a mere 30 minutes. Temperatures were expected to bottom out at about 20 degrees by mid-morning.

"The combination of snow and ice will result in difficult travel conditions, potentially including both the morning and evening commutes on Friday," cautioned the weather service in an updated advisory issued Friday morning. "Total ice accumulations of less than one tenth of an inch will be possible with total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches expected with heaviest totals from around Flint northeast into the Thumb."

The weather service's winter weather advisory is in effect from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and covers Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Huron, Saginaw, Tuscola, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Livington, Washtenaw and Lenawee counties. It includes Detroit, Ann Arbor, Pontiac, Warren, Flint and other cities.

The winter chill comes after a very brief two-day warmup, when temperatures climbed into the 50 on Thursday. Many cities in southeast Michigan took advantage of the warmup to push piles of ice and slush from the sides of roads.

For the weekend, the weather service forecasts the cold to continue into next early next week. The high on Saturday is 18 with a low of 9, and on Sunday a high of 19 and low of 12.

File photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images