Storm dumps 4-6 inches on Ann Arbor; morning commute is treacherous
Related story: Where are the crashes in Washtenaw County? Everywhere, police say
The Ann Arbor area got hammered with 4 to 6 inches of snow overnight, leading to accidents and school closings this morning.
Perhaps the silver lining is the bulk of the snow has fallen earlier than expected, and the total predicted remains at 5 to 8 inches.
Ann Arbor residents awoke to 4 to 6 inches of snow this morning.
File photo: Juliana Keeping | AnnArbor.com
Michigan State Police Sgt. Chris Pascoe said road conditions have led to run-offs and crashes on both expressways and secondary roads across the county.
"It's really bad all over," Pascoe said. "Washtenaw County has been really hammered."
As of 9 a.m., reported snowfall totals were 5.2 inches in Saline, 6 inches in Milan, and 6.8 inches in Ann Arbor.
Nearly every school district is closed today, including Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Whitmore Lake, and Washtenaw Technical Middle College. Many private and charter schools also called off classes for the day.
Ann Arbor students were already off this week for winter break.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission had an overnight crew on duty Sunday night and called employees to report to work at 3 a.m. today, said Jim Harmon, director of operations for the road commission. The entire fleet of 46 trucks has been out, focusing on the expressways and main thoroughfares, Harmon said.
"We're making some progress," he said at 7:40 a.m. "We'll be at it all day."
Harmon said about 5 inches of snow had fallen by 4 a.m., and although the snow has lightened, the roads remain slippery and snow-covered.
Crews will move on to secondary roads and subdivisions once the highways and main roads are in good shape, Harmon said.
Meteorologist Steve Considine of the National Weather Service at White Lake Township said the heaviest snow fell overnight in the Ann Arbor area. He said snow will continue falling through the morning and early afternoon, tapering off between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The winter storm warning, originally set to expire at 7 p.m., has been moved up to 4 p.m.
So far this winter, the road commission has spent about $1.6 million on winter maintenance, including plowing state highways and county roads, Harmon said.
"That's slightly below where we thought we'd be, so it will help us go into the spring and summer road construction season," Harmon said. "Winter is certainly not over, so we may see a few storms in March and even April. We've planned for that and have adequate resources."
Comments
think
Tue, Feb 23, 2010 : 8:46 p.m.
Well the thrust of the article was to report the effects of the latest storm. Satisfaction with snow removal stems from expectations. If during ANY winter event you expect to see miles of dry pavement ahead of where you currently wish to go, you are not likely to be satisfied. Given the degree of complexity, the variable unknowns and the unexpected nature of, nature, plowing is always going to be an impossible service in which everyone will be pleased. --------- RUKiddingMe "I can understand the deep south having issues with plowing; Ann Arbor should not." I wonder where you might draw the line as to deep south? Are we talking about like Milan or Monroe? Perhaps someone could offer up a proper "municipal services scorecard" that we could refer to and thereby have a reliable basis for discussion.
RUKiddingMe
Tue, Feb 23, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.
@think; you seem to miss the point as well. No one's complainging that we get snow. This isn't about people choosing to live here who hate snow. It's about how we all KNOW we'll get snow, and yet the public services that are meant to handle it when it does happen don't handle it half as well as elsewhere. It's about people paying much more for public service than anywhere else and getting much less public service for it. I can understand the deep south having issues with plowing; Ann Arbor should not.
annarbor28
Tue, Feb 23, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.
You're missing the point that this is not whining. This is an important safety issue. Every time the roads are slick, people get killed, including in this area. I have a truck and don't worry so much. But I feel horrible for those whose loved ones have died on the icy roads this winter, and think that many of these deaths were preventable, IF the state and other jurisdictions cleared and salted roads earlier and more vigorously. They need to have this as a higher priority, along with retaining police and firefighters, and decreasing more frivolous spending. Priorities need to be drastically changed during these economic times.
PittsfieldTwp
Tue, Feb 23, 2010 : 8:45 a.m.
Yes, people can and should drive better. Its Michigan. We get it. The issue is, if other communities get the snow cleared significantly faster, why can't we at least improve? We don't have a ton of complaints here because we are not meeting "spot on never fail" requirements. Rather, for most of us, we just don't see the job getting done 90% of the time or the policy for getting the job done (waiting until the snow is done) is not favorable.
yaah
Tue, Feb 23, 2010 : 8:22 a.m.
I have actually been pleasantly surprised by the response to snow removal in my subdivision (NE Ann Arbor, actually part of Superior Twp). Both of the two major recent snowstorms our street was plowed before 5pm, and our street is very low volume traffic. The issues I always seen with Ann Arbor plowing are taking too long to get going on the major roads (not necessarily the highways, but the major roads like Washtenaw, Plymouth, Packard, etc). And intersections always get horrible treatment. Bad intersections tend to be a major issue for slowing down traffic, because cars can't make left turns quickly and many people slip and slide. The major problem of course is not the plows at all, it is the cars. People either drive too slow or too fast, and for some reason snow on the roads makes people think they can accelerate quickly out of intersections. Morons!
think
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:51 p.m.
I have been a snow removal contractor in michigan for 32 years, 27 of which have taken place in Ann Arbor. What I have learned is that every storm event is unique. Many factors come into play when deciding whether the snow removal services rendered are satisfactory or not. The short list of factors affecting services are as follows: Wind speed/direction temperature humidity ground temperature timing of the start and stopping of the event equipment malfunctions day time vs night time plowing personnel issues communication issues actual type of snow depth of snow day of the week customers idea of what good service is Given the fact that it is in the best interest for the city and county to provide the very best in service, they will no doubt use the latest in weather forcasting models/services. But even the best forecasting is still just that, a guess as to what will happen in the future. Being able to know what the storm is likely to do is very critical information that is just not always reliably available. With all the obstacles that abound for municipalities and others removing snow, I am amazed at how well it actually gets accomplished. In this age of instant gratification, "spot-on-never-fail" snow removal is one service that is quite difficult to supply. And just for the record, a Winter Storm Warning, which was in effect for this storm, is generally considered to be fairly serious stuff. Thats why they issue them. "But I just have to go out and get my latte grande" or "Theres a sale at...." Hats off to the men and women who are out 24/7 doing a sometimes thankless job, trying to make the world safer for the rest of us. By far what I find most humorous is the chatter of folks who CHOOSE to live here and complain about what mother nature gives us.
gogmagog8
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 9:54 p.m.
"Treacherous"...what a joke. Has everyone forgotten that they live in MICHIGAN. The hype of the headline is overwhelming.
RUKiddingMe
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 8:39 p.m.
I will throw in with the others who have lived in other places and can compare Ann Arbor's snow removal to them. I've lived in several places in Pennsylvania, New York, Maine (Bar Harbor, by the way, where the sides of buildings get iced over by sea mist), and New Jersey. I've been in farm communities where houses aren't closer than half a mile and I've been in urban areas with sky scrapers and suburban areas w/ subdivisions and apartment complexes. NONE of the places I have EVER lived have been so slow in their response to snow or their completely inadequate job of removal when they do get to it. It's also worth noting, I think, that NONE of those places had property taxes even close to Ann Arbor's. Let's stop worrying about exorbitant ridiculous Green Belt purchases and new train stations that no one will use, and start putting money into services the city actually NEEDS. And someone may want to actually monitor performance and take action when it is poor.
johnnya2
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 7:51 p.m.
I wish people who want to say it is scultptures or snow removal or underground parking. The issue with safety is usually on main trunk lines, which are ALL serviced by contract with MDOT by the Washtenaw County Road Commission. The city has absolutely no control over the budget and rules the STATE sets up. Of course they think if their area isnt plowed fast enough they aren't working at all. It is similar to the morons in DC who get snow twice a year and say they should have 1000's of plows on stand by. Here's an idea, use a vacation day. Tell your boss the roads are not drivable so you are staying home. Tell them you are following the recommendations to NOT drive around in it.
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 6:02 p.m.
Actually, going 10 miles an hour on an icy side street in Arbor caused my small politically correct (PC) car to slide into a curb and caused $2000 worth of damage to it. That's when I bought a truck. So much for PC cars in the winter.
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.
I have always on this forum of annarbor.com expressed the view that firefighters and police should NOT be cut. I do think that sculptures, underground parking lots, conference centers, and ill-thought out, poorly placed Section 8 housing, as well as unnecessary consulting fees should be cut in favor of firefighters, police, and snow removal and other safety issues. I am assuming that "grinch" does not think I advocate cuts in vital services.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.
Bridget, I know. I lived in another northern state for a few years prior to returning to Michigan. I was shocked that roads were cleared so quickly. We never had snow days, because the plows were always out. A snow like this would never close the schools. I would imagine good plowing pays for itself in the form of regained productivity. Now that I'm back in Michigan, I remember what it was like. Just disappointing, but that's Michigan's government for you. They spend the money on entitlements, not productivity.
Lincoln8
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:22 p.m.
I don't know if this makes a differance on how well the snow was removed/not removed, but i know someone who works for the city and they said they had only nine plow trucks trying to keep the roads cleared last night. Based on those numbers I think they did a good job with what they had.
snapshot
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:14 p.m.
Just saw on the news a young female driver who lost control of her car and ended up in the ditch. Her on air comment, "My car just kinda lost control and almost went into the wall". I love it, it was the cars fault, not hers. She may kill, or cause someone, to get killed in the future and probably feel no responsibility at all. Of course, maybe it was a Toyota!
Lokalisierung
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 5:14 p.m.
"are the first to suggest that government services need to be cut in these difficult times are the first to demand that every road and street see a road scraper the moment the first snowflake falls." So true. Same people say FF should give up 3%, City Admins 15%, but they themselves cannot afford any more taxes what-so-ever. Same people that complain about a new courthouse/police station yet if they actually had to go to the police station it's a flihty shambles and most uninviting for those visiting or working there.
The Grinch
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:49 p.m.
alpha2: You apparently have no idea what the word "specious" means, either. annarbor28: You are EXACTLY correct. If someone is going 10MPH and hits and icy patch, they won't slide far nor will they do much damage to their car nor to someone else's, nor to themselves, nor to other people. I know it's a shock to some people that we actually get a winter here in Michigan and that they need to adjust their driving habits to that reality (which, in some cases, means NOT driving!). And I find it amusing that the very same people who, in other discussions, are the first to suggest that government services need to be cut in these difficult times are the first to demand that every road and street see a road scraper the moment the first snowflake falls. That's not going to happen, so we have to adjust the way we drive. And the whiners remain laughable--kinda like a dog howling at the moon--no matter what kind of black tragedy you wish to conjure up.
SemperFi
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.
I love driving in the snow. I don't mind driving behind slower moving vehicles when they're not as comfortable as me. I have one recommendation to those who have kids learning to drive. Take them out in these conditions to a lesser traveled area and let them learn to drive in inclement weather. Let them feel what its like to be behind the wheel of a sliding car and teach them what to do. It's better to teach them than let them be ignorant and fearful. http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafety/drivingsafetytips/snow.html
Bridget Bly
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:31 p.m.
This is my first winter here, and I admit to being slightly taken aback by the slow snow removal. I was just told by the snow desk that "we don't start residential snow removal until the snowfall is substantially over". In other places I've lived, snow plows would rumble by at various points to keep the accumulation down, even if it was still snowing. I suppose the latter has higher direct costs more than the former, but there are work productivity and other indirect costs associated with waiting. I'm not necessarily sure which is best for AA (newcomer after all), but it is a choice. If we are not happy with the way it seems to have been decided, I suppose we have to clamor for the other and be prepared to pay for it.
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:18 p.m.
Grinch: Here is what you said, which clearly blames drivers, not the weather: "annarbor28: People die on roads because they drive inappropriately for conditions or they do something very foolish--whether it's a dry road in July or a snowy road in February. Blaming weather and/or bad roads for traffic accidents and injuries is a great way of removing blame from where it belongs: on the person driving the car in an inappropriate manner for the conditions." When I drive home at 1 am in the snow and ice, I can easily see that the driver is not always to blame. There are semis that drive by me that blow ice and snow all over my vehicle, making it difficult to see and steer, there are patches of ice that smaller cars slip on even at 10 miles an hour, due to their light weight, there are poorly designed exits that promote swerving and circling round, etc etc. It is not always driver error. A lot of the driving would be much easier if the roads were salted and plowed, when the snow first begins. This is what USED to happen, and still does in other jurisdictions that are better organized and run by smarter people than in SE Michigan. Another idea would to allow the studded snow tires on the roads, which even though they could damage current roads, would provide for a better grip on ice. This would only be a bandaid, but it could help a little, especially for smaller cars, so popular with the "green" set.
The Grinch
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 4:09 p.m.
annarbor28: not my point at all, but it seems to be your desire to twist everything I say in another direction. My point is that given the budgetary constraints under which every local government is operating right now, it is wildly absurd for some people to be crying about snow removal as they are on this blog. And, that said, I think A2 and WC have done a pretty good job under the circumstance. In the meantime, until the overworked and under-resourced road crews can get to every inch of road (which might take a couple of days), people need to drive appropriate to the conditions. What a unique concept!!
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:59 p.m.
So Grinch, by YOUR logic, why bother with snow and ice removal at all? Just leave the roads alone, and if everyone drives slowly and carefully enough, we would all get through without ANY plowing or salting. Then you can divert the entire snow removal budget to other projects, and build a $2 million sculpture instead!
The Grinch
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:34 p.m.
iamwrite: perhaps you missed the fact that tax revenues are down and, since no one wants to pay higher taxes, there have been service reductions???
iamwrite
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:30 p.m.
Weather and politics aside, the fact is that taxes pay for snow removal, and this service is not up to par by most peoples' standards.
Lokalisierung
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:23 p.m.
"Blaming weather and/or bad roads for traffic accidents and injuries is a great way of removing blame from where it belongs:" Agreed. Unless my loved ones are killed by huge icicles falling through their windshield there's always a casue.
The Grinch
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 3:18 p.m.
annarbor28: People die on roads because they drive inappropriately for conditions or they do something very foolish--whether it's a dry road in July or a snowy road in February. Blaming weather and/or bad roads for traffic accidents and injuries is a great way of removing blame from where it belongs: on the person driving the car in an inappropriate manner for the conditions.
brian
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
Mike - Maybe the problem is that you have lived in MI your whole life. I spent the majority of my life around Buffalo NY, an area which has always been in much more financial turmoil than Ann Arbor. The snowfall there makes anything SE MI gets seems like a joke (A2's record snowfall year is well under Buffalo's yearly average) and the roads in Ann Arbor are a horrible compared to what that area accomplishes. I can't believe that the city doesn't at least take better care of the bigger roads. I can't wait to move back to Buffalo so I can actually feel safer driving around in their snow than I do here.
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 2:10 p.m.
Loka: ROFL!!!!;-: I don't think the families whose loved ones are killed in snow and ice related accidents are rolling on the floor laughing. I sincerely hope this does not happen to you.
The Grinch
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 12:58 p.m.
Loka: ROFL!!!!;-)
Lokalisierung
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 12:27 p.m.
Wow it took me a whole 2.5 minutes to clean off my car and drive to work. It's easier if there are no ice forming in the tear ducts when you're on the road.
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 12:19 p.m.
Mike: The governments need to examine why they are "broke" but still spend on frivolous items, like German sculpture, underground parking garages, and a conference center in a crummy climate that requires this kind of snow removal, with no skiing facilities. I get through this with my truck, but I think that the number of accidents, injuries and deaths can be greatly reduced with a more thoughtful allocation of scarce monetary resources.
Mike
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 12:13 p.m.
I have lived in Michigan my entire life and have no issue with the snow removal of the local and state. Maybe it would be best if everyone just learn how to walk and drive in these conditions instead of complaining about the slow removal of broke governments.
DagnyJ
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : noon
I just shoveled my driveway and I think it's 8-10 inches.
Griffen
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 11:01 a.m.
I got to work at 7:30am after having to run a gauntlet of stuck vehicles on Seventh Street (at Huron street) and dodging an out of control Cadillac that was going way too fast for the weather conditions. It takes all sorts. My experiences this morning could be described as "Anarchy in the snow"!
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:58 a.m.
iamwrite is right about this. By the way, I have a truck that gets through anything, so i am not concerned so much about myself, but about the people in the little Priuses that I see struggling. Do they just stay home or slide and crash?
iamwrite
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:47 a.m.
@JakeC Snow started falling hard at 11pm Sunday evening, not 3 am Tuesday. Also the snow warning was issued, so a 3am start of plowing was not sufficient enough, as we all experienced this morning. In many places there is a layer of ice, which with proper salting, should not have been existent...
Jake C
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:26 a.m.
"The Washtenaw County Road Commission had an overnight crew on duty Sunday night and called employees to report to work at 3 a.m. today, said Jim Harmon, director of operations for the road commission. The entire fleet of 46 trucks has been out, focusing on the expressways and main thoroughfares, Harmon said." So anyone complaining about how their particular stretch of road isn't cleared to their liking should either: 1) Drive more carefully 2) Take an alternate route 3) Write your city council rep asking for more money to go to the snowplow budget, or perhaps heated streets 4) Buy a truck and mount your own snowplow on the front (or just get some proper snow tires on whatever vehicle you happen to own) 5) Constantly call the road department and berate them that they're not working hard enough, even though they started working when the snow started falling at 3 AM 6) Do a Snow Dance and pray that less snow drops on your particular neighborhood 7) Expose yourself to cosmic gamma rays so you can melt the ice that forms on roads with your heat-vision eyeballs or 8) Stop insisting that your particular stretch of road is more important than the rest and learn to deal with it, like most of us do almost every winter.
PittsfieldTwp
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:08 a.m.
Like Ignatz, I do want to say that not everyone is a crazy driver. This morning I drove to Detroit and it was slow because people were driving carefully and not because of wrecks everywhere. I notice the same with the snow storm on Feb 10. XMO - Which global warming story do you want? The one about last month being the warmest January globally since satellite records have been collected? The one about how even though Ann Arbor had two record breaking snowfall records in the last five years, each of those years were warmer than average globally? The one about no snow for the Olympics? Record breaking heat in the Southern Hemisphere this winter? Or that no matter what snow falls here in Ann Arbor, global temps are still well above average?
annarbor28
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 10:07 a.m.
I posted this elsewhere on annarbor.com at 2 am this am, predicting the crashes. I am not gloating about being right, but this is a snowy area, and there have to be public resources and funding put towards snow removal. There needs to be clearing and salting of roads from the beginning of the storm. There are predictable accidents, injuries and deaths from snow and ice. Otherwise, if they can't clear it, shut everything whenever there is more than 3 inches of snow. But ambulances and firetrucks will still need to get through, so really the local and state governments need to be responsible and channel more resources to snow and ice removal. This whole state of affairs is not acceptable. Take the sculpture money and use it for a plowing fund. From 2 am today: Having just driven I-94 west from the Detroit area, I can report that there were NO snowplows or salt trucks out, except one going away from Ann Arbor on 23. It is a mess, and impassable for some of the cars who were pulled over both on the highway and on Ann Arbor streets. Where is the tax/stimulus money to help us through the winter? How many people will be hurt tomorrow in accidents? How much more will we pay in insurance premiums due to the predictable accidents tonight and tomorrow? And why is the City of Ann Arbor going ahead with ridiculous spending projects when the streets of Ann Arbor are so slippery? Is the sculpture going to save lives?
Tammy Mayrend
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 9:45 a.m.
My ruler reads almost a full 8" of snow in my Ypsilanti Township home!
bananas
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 9:09 a.m.
I liked yesterday's weather better.
Ignatz
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 8:28 a.m.
Just got to work. I've never seen more sane driving around here. Congrats to the drivers this morning for adhering to the conditions.
PSJ
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 8:20 a.m.
Kudos to the Ann Arbor snow removal crew! Their early start made this morning's commute much better than it could have been. Let's let them finish the job today. Please get your parked cars off of the streets. The City should call a SNOW EMERGENCY to make this happen. That way the crews can plow efficiently from curb to curb.
Jon Saalberg
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 8:19 a.m.
My editorial self asks: Did the writer of this story mean "widespread" or "numerous" accidents?
zollar
Mon, Feb 22, 2010 : 7:48 a.m.
Water Winter Wonderland