Storm expected to dump 6-8 inches of snow in Michigan, weather predictions say

This time there really is a wolf, weather forecasters said Thursday.

A storm, which some news outlets are calling "a blizzard," is headed toward Michigan and is expected to dump 6-8 inches of snow, mostly on Friday, followed by dangerous winds that could take out power lines and then single-digit and subzero temperatures.

It's weather that very well could wallop the state, much like it did last year.

Early Thursday, parts of metro Detroit already had a light coating, 1-2 inches, of snow; but the winter wonderland scenes it created, forecasters warned, could gradually turn into a nightmare for many.

To be safe, weather watchers are warning that Friday’s commute home could be treacherous, so leave work early.

A winter storm watch has been issued for 10 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday for Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties, as well as areas near Flint and in the Thumb, where heavy snow could end up being more than half a foot.

Local institutions are starting to announce closures out of caution. The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in west Michigan will close Friday and Saturday due to the severe weather concerns.

Some outstate communities are already declaring snow emergencies. Portage announced a snow removal emergency effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday as officials prepare for heavy snow and high winds. Under the emergency, residents should avoid parking on public streets to ensure plow trucks can effectively keep city roads clear.

In northern Lower Michigan, which included Otsego, Alpena, Kalkaska, and Roscommon, the snowfall could be even deeper, exceeding 8 inches.

Closer to Detroit, there could be 2-4 inches of snow, and 4-6 inches near Pontiac.

DTE Energy said it is preparing for the storm and urging customers to report and stay away from downed power lines and to "never use a portable generator inside a home or business" because it emits deadly carbon monoxide.

On the west side of the state, Consumers Energy appeared by early Thursday afternoon to have restored power to all but about about 8,000 of the 65,000 homes and businesses that had lost it earlier in the week.

Still, experts urged Michiganders, especially those in remote and other areas where the power tends to go out as a result of downed tree limbs and lines, to have a plan, just in case their electricity and heat went out for a few days.

Michigan’s meteorologists are all too aware they are in a tough spot when it comes to dire predictions and rapidly changing weather patterns.

Last winter, a severe snowstorm hit the state in January, followed by what the utilities called "a rare" freezing rain and ice storm in February that delayed air travel, caused car crashes, downed trees and took out power to 700,000 homes and business, and killed a firefighter in Paw Paw.

If meteorologists forecast terrible weather that never happens too many times, the public starts to doubt their predictions, the way the villagers stopped listening to the fabled shepherd boy who cried wolf.

However, if they don’t sound the alarm soon enough — or at all — and there actually is a metaphorical wolf, the consequences could be serious, even deadly.

And that’s where they are now.

"This is a big system," Andrew Arnold, a National Weather Service meteorologist in White Lake Township warned, noting the worst of the storm is expected to hit early Friday afternoon.

But, he said, the weather system also "is dynamic," which translates to unpredictable.

Exactly how much snow will fall this time, meteorologists still are trying to work out and likely will have updates as it gets closer to Friday morning, but snow isn't the only weather challenge to consider.

"We had a storm earlier that didn’t quite pan out as we expected," Arnold said. "But with this one, we have a higher confidence we’ll see a decent amount of snowfall across the area."

But even if the snowfall from the storm ends up being lighter, with winds predicted to be as high as 45 mph and a high probability that temperatures will plummet into early next week, Michiganders should be ready.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan winter storm expected to bring 6-8 inches of snow