By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A major snowstorm that could dump 8 to 12 inches of snow on Livingston County is expected to impact today’s afternoon and evening commutes.

Hazardous conditions are expected to make travel very difficult. Warning Coordination Meteorologist Rich Pollman with the National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac Office says there could be somewhere between 6 and 8 inches of snow on the ground for the afternoon commute. Snowfall is expected to slow down but will continue on until around midnight. Pollman says when everything is said and done, we could be looking at anywhere from 8 to 12 inches of snowfall for Livingston County.

Pollman tells WHMI temperatures will continue to fall and it will get quite a bit colder as the storm moves through into Thursday. He noted that the further south people travel, the heavier the snow expected with the storm. Winds will pick up Thursday and come from the north with gusts up to 25 mph. Pollman said he suspects roads will still be dicey on Thursday due to blowing and drifting snow, especially in the open country area locally.

There was earlier talk of a Thursday snowfall but Pollman said it looks like that part of the storm will mainly miss Livingston County but should hit Detroit and on south. He said some snow showers could be continuing and result in a dusting of up to half an inch or one-inch but that won’t be any part of the main snowstorm.

Pollman said it’s a pretty easy call that this will be the biggest snow event of the year so far with snowfall totals approaching double digits. He noted the biggest snowfall to date is somewhere around 3-4 inches - depending on where you are in Livingston County.

Pollman added that for whatever reason, over the last decade there have been more snowstorms in February than January – although that’s probably not long enough to determine a solid trend. For snowfall in Livingston County over the last ten years, Pollman says there have been about 10 inches each and every year in the month of January - compared to February which had anywhere from 15 inches to as much as 25 inches from one or two snowstorms.