Mother Nature reminds Ann Arbor area that it's still winter
Friday night's snowfall - and the fact that the accumulation is lasting into Saturday - gave Washtenaw County a reminder that our mild winter can still shift into a more typical seasonal weather pattern.
Overnight snow totals ranged from 2 to 3 inches across the county, with the higher end of the total reported on the east end, including Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
The conditions resulted in road conditions that left public safety officials urging driver caution. Local police departments, including Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township, reported a number of minor crashes on roads.
Initial reports from the rest of the county indicate that slippery conditions persisted throughout Saturday morning, with more minor crashes reported - particularly on M-14 and US-23.
The temperature was reported at 10 degrees at 11 a.m., with a wind chill of -6 degrees. The high could reach 22.
The normal high for February 11 is 30, while the normal low is 15. The record low is -13, set just one year ago.
Meanwhile, snow flurries could return late Saturday. Sunday should be warmer, with a high of 27, but wind chills will stay below 0.
Comments
xmo
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 9:37 p.m.
I was idling my car for a long time today, Thank goodness Ann Arbor City Council did not pass the "No Idling Law"!
WalkingJoe
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 5:02 p.m.
Went out and got the snow off the driveway and thought this is more like the February we all know and love. Went to the Carpenter Rd. Meijers to pick up a few things and this time I had to agree with all the critics of the Washtenaw County Road Commission. It was 11 am and the roads looked like just a sheet of ice, I was only going 20 mph and when I slowed down to turn into Meijers I slide right pass the entrance. Luckily no one was coming out. Be careful out there.
grimmk
Sun, Feb 12, 2012 : 4:08 a.m.
Me too. I thought for sure everything would be ok at 11am. It was horrible! I come out of the store at 12...roads are much better. At least they were in Ypsi. I saw them salting/sanding the roads.
jcj
Sun, Feb 12, 2012 : 1:20 a.m.
Bad roads were not unique to Washtenaw county last night. My son went north and said the roads were bad from Jackson to Clare.
WalkingJoe
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 10:35 p.m.
jcj, I was mainly on Ellsworth which is done by the county. Like I said usually I think they do a fine job and maybe this morning Ellsworth, being a east/west road was a problem keeping it clear.
jcj
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 9:54 p.m.
Hey Joe! What route did you take? Were all the roads county roads or just Carpenter? I was out at 10 am 94 to Chelsea. No problem. Now the secondary roads were not great.
WalkingJoe
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
I am not one to always blame the Road Commission and I know that salt does not work in extreme cold. But My uncle worked for the Road Commission for many years and he said in conditions like today they could use sand and other treatments besides salt. Most of the time I post in defense of the WCRC and I know today was an extreme.
Johnson48racing
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 7:05 p.m.
It is like this all over the state, these very low temps are to blame for this, salt is useless when the temps are under 20 degrees..
MgoBlueMomma
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 5:43 p.m.
So your saying its the Road Commissions fault that salt does not work when its freezing out and on ice? Salt does not work in very cold temps on ice. It just sits there and does no good. It was mother natures fault, now that the sun is shining the heat with help melt it. The Road Commission can not be blamed for not being in every spot every second.