A motorist navigates snow-blown South Harbor Drive along the entrance to Grand Haven State Park on Lake Michigan on Tuesday morning. A late winter storm is dumping snow on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with up to two feet forecast in some places. (Ken Stevens / Associated Press)
A storm has dumped up to about 2 feet of snow on parts of northern Michigan, with blowing and drifting snow creating hazardous conditions.
The National Weather Service says Wednesday morning that the heaviest snowfall has been in the northern and western Upper Peninsula, with higher-elevation areas near Houghton and Ironwood getting about 2 feet since snowfall started on Monday.
By Thursday morning, an additional 5 to 10 inches is forecast near Munising, with smaller accumulations in other parts of the Upper Peninsula.
Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula also got hit by snow, with up to 15 inches reported as of Wednesday morning in an area south of Traverse City. By the time the storm wraps up Thursday, the weather service says the area could get another 3 to 6 inches.
In Metro Detroit, Wednesday's weather is expected to be a repeat of Tuesday, mostly cloudy, a high of 30 degrees and a wind-chill in the teens, said Mike Pigott, AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist. And don't expect a big break in temperatures for a couple of weeks.
Pigott said Metro Detroiters can expect a couple of snow showers Wednesday, but no accumulation.
Westland resident Paul Stevens is sharing the misery of many.
"It's horrible," he said. "Last winter was a lot milder."
Those who have endured this week's temperatures haven't been surprised by the un-spring-like weather.
"This is Michigan and anything can happen," said Charles Moore of Detroit. "I live with it. I deal with it."
Spring officially started at 7:02 a.m. Wednesday, bringing with it hopes of flowers breaking through moist soil, a lawn matted down by snow turning green and barren tree branches sprouting leaves.
Detroiter Chandace Cooper has remained optimistic.
"This is winter's last hoorah," Cooper said. "By Sunday it will be 45 degrees and after that it will get warmer. That's my prediction."
Sadly, Mother Nature isn't swayed by Cooper's positive outlook.
"It looks like a sustained period of time for colder than average weather in the Great Lakes," Pigott said. "It may take some time, early April, for the cold-streak to break."
According to the National Weather Service, the normal high for this time of year is about 50 degrees.
"Because the cold weather will be in place, there will be the potential for snow now through early April," Pigott said.
So far this year, the Detroit area has received 47.2 inches of snow, 8.5 inches above the average of 38.7 inches.
The Associated Press contributed.
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