STORM PREP: Region battens down
Jan. 12—TRAVERSE CITY — The Mayfield Country Store was doing a brisk business in bottled water as shoppers prepared for an impending snowstorm.
"I've got five cases in the back, but it's going fast," a cashier said Friday, as more people streamed into the convenience store, deli and sandwich shop. "For today's special, we've got half-pound burgers."
A winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service predicted heavy snow, high winds and hazardous driving conditions for northwestern lower Michigan and beyond.
The warning remains in effect from 1 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Saturday, the NWS said.
Up-north residents know to stock up on nonperishable food and water, especially for a storm that could produce 55 mph winds, and experts offered other tips, too.
"If you can stay dry, you can stay warm," said Alan Schug, manager of Backcountry North's U.S. 31 store. "An extra hat, gloves, a scarf and a blanket in your car don't take up much room, but could make a huge difference."
The Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Transportation on Friday urged drivers to stay home through Saturday.
"Drivers who venture out in white-out conditions, even if things go well they can still inhibit snow removal," MDOT's James Lake said. "If they don't go well and they end up in the ditch or worse, then we've got the complication of involving law enforcement and emergency services."
Lake said officials realize staying home isn't an option for everyone, and he advised travelers to make use of the midrive website, where stationary road cameras show real-time conditions and snowplow cameras show what drivers are seeing.
Snow showers are expected to continue into next week, though the storm itself is likely to dissipate sometime Sunday, forecasters said.
