Overnight snowstorm will hamper morning rush-hour

Mark Hicks and Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

Road crews hit the streets with salt, and some schools canceled classes early to prepare for 5-9 inches of snow forecasters predicted would arrive overnight.

Wayne County has about 100 trucks salting and plowing Tuesday night, said county roads director Mike Rogers.

"We want to stay out all night to make sure we get the road conditions the best they can possibly be" in the morning, he said.

A storm that gets stronger as the night progresses will make keeping roads clear a chore, said Bob Mykytiak, spokesman for the Road Commission of Macomb County.

"It is going to be hard to keep up with it," he said. "We will have to go around the clock."

A winter storm warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service reporting station in White Lake Township.

By 10 p.m. the storm, part of a system moving east, had dumped some 2-5 inches of snow in Armada, Riverview, Howell, Lake Orion and Wyandotte, NWS said.

AAA helped some 2,800 motorists Tuesday in spinouts, minor crashes and other weather-related incidents, higher than an entire 24-hour period during an average winter day, spokeswoman Nancy Cain said.

A contracted tow truck network of 300 was available statewide, Cain said, and call center staff constantly fielded calls.

A key to easing the evening commute is caution, she said.

"The main cause of winter crashes is driving too fast for the conditions," Cain said. "You have to slow down, make sure all the snow is cleared off from your windows and headlights. You want to be paying close attention."

Earlier Tuesday, police across Metro Detroit dealt with numerous spinouts and fender benders.

In Ypsilanti Township, a 35 year old woman died when a garbage truck slammed into her car, which then struck the median, at Interstate 94.

The freeway was the scene of another crash Tuesday morning when a tractor trailer jack-knifed on the freeway, causing the closure of the eastbound lanes, police said.

Michigan State Police troopers said they had handled about 40 incidents by rush hour.

Drivers "need to slow down," said Sgt. Linda Mys. "Don't wait for a tragedy because someone was speeding."

Many evening programs and classes were canceled and school districts prepared to close on Wednesday.

Detroit Public Schools canceled all evening and after-school activities Tuesday because of inclement weather. Class dismissal will remain at the normal time and administrative offices remain open, officials said. River Rouge was among the districts planning to close Wednesday.

The snow caused several delays and cancellations at Detroit Metro Airport, but operations were expected to continue, spokesman Scott Wintner said. "It's reasonable to expect delays, but we're far from closed. Flights are still taking off and landing."

Elsewhere, residents salted their porches, shoveled their walks and did their best to keep up with the steadily falling snow.

Sporting dress shoes, slacks and a shirt unbuttoned to just below his chest, Tony Gabriel shoveled snow at his brother-in-law's small grocery store at Cahalan and Mullane, in southwest Detroit.

"This is nothing," the 46-year-old Sterling Heights resident said. "It's not so bad. In 1982 it snowed so hard that I spent three days at my dad's store."

For those who will make the decision about whether thousands of schoolchildren stay home Wednesday it's become a day of monitoring weather reports.

"I'm praying and asking the gods to be kind, but the kids are all saying 'Let it come,' " said Arnold Kummerow, superintendent of Armada Area Schools in northern Macomb County.

"In the past, if we've made the decision too early, the sun would come out and nothing would happen. But everything I've heard, I'm guessing there's a 90 percent chance we will close" on Wednesday.

Kummerow said he'd likely make the decision tonight.

"My philosophy is to not make the kids wake up at 5 a.m. to listen to the radio."

Detroit News Staff Writers Charlie Ramirez and Tom Greenwood contributed.