Expect slippery roads as snow piles up Saturday for first time this season

Michigan motorists are advised to slow down and use caution today with an inch or more of snow coming to much of the state.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday for parts of central, south central, southwest and west central Michigan.

The weather service is forecasting the first widespread snow accumulations this season with 1 to 3 inches expected in the region, which includes the cities of Grand Rapids, Lansing, Battle Creek, Mount Pleasant, Muskegon and Jackson.

Areas of light freezing drizzle are also possible late Saturday and Sunday morning.

The weather service also issued a winter weather advisory from 3 p.m. Saturday to midnight in most of southeast Michigan, generally along and south of Interstate 69.

Drivers should be careful as the snow makes roads slick this evening, said Dave Gurney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake.

"After 5 o'clock this afternoon when the sun sets, that's when the potential for slicker roads will start developing," he said.

Two to three inches are expected in the region, which includes the cities of Detroit, Ann Arbor, Pontiac, Warren, Flint, Port Huron and Monroe.

Snow showers are expected again Sunday in parts of southeast Michigan including Midland, Bay, Huron, Saginaw, Tuscola and Sanilac counties, with most locations getting another inch or so. 

Lake enhancement snow is possible Sunday evening, with 1 to 3 inch totals near the eastern shoreline of the northern Thumb. 

Metro Detroit weather will be milder once the weekend ends, Gurney said. Meteorologists predict temperatures will be above 40 degrees Fahrenheit after Monday and reach the mid- to upper-40s on Friday. 

"This will be the wintriest right here, today and tomorrow," he said.