FIRST ALERT WEATHER: Major winter storm bringing heavy snow to Mid-Michigan

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A major winter storm is impacting Mid-Michigan for the rest of the day and into early Thursday and the First Alert Weather Team is declaring both Wednesday and Thursday First Alert Weather Days as major impacts are expected.

WINTER HEADLINES

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Ingham, Jackson, Eaton, Calhoun, and Clinton counties and points south through 11 p.m. Thursday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Gratiot, and Ionia counties for the same time.

TIMELINE

Snow will continue for the rest of the day coming down moderate to heavy as it does. Expect roads to continue to be snow covered and slow going. The snow will begin to taper off later on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, another push of snow will move into the region but mainly south and east of Lansing. This will bring additional snow accumulation to the area. All snow will end by Thursday evening.

SNOW ACCUMULATION

This will will likely end up being the biggest snowfall of the season and the biggest snow the area has seen in a few years. The highest snowfall totals will be south and east of the Lansing area. Right now, it looks like 8-12+ inches of snow can be expected for the I-94 corridor near Jackson and to the south. Between 6-10 inches of snow is then expected further north into the Lansing area. North of Lansing, snowfall totals will drop off quickly to 3-6 inches of snow for areas north of I-69.

IMPACTS

Major travel impacts are expected from this system. Most severe travel impacts will come during the day on Wednesday with snow covered roads and low visibility for both the morning and evening commutes. This is a long-duration event so expect treacherous travel conditions all day long and even into early Thursday.

The wind during this system will be not be terribly strong, however some blowing and drifting snow can be expected into Thursday. This could lead to additional travel impacts, especially on east to west roads with a wind from the north.

The News 10 First Alert Weather Team will continue to track and update this forecast so make sure you stay updated on-air, online, and in the First Alert Weather App.

Download the News 10 First Alert Weather App for forecast updates, radar and severe weather notifications on your smartphone. Search “WILX Weather” on Google Play or the Apple App Store--it’s free.

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