Snow to Disrupt Travel From Detroit to Buffalo

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

February 7,2013; 7:15PM,EST

A storm from western Canada moved into the Great Lakes Wednesday night and it will bring an swath of moderate to heavy snow into the end of the week.

The storm produced light to moderate snow over part of North Dakota, much of Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin during the day Wednesday. For this area, the storm was similar to other Alberta Clippers that affected the area over the past couple of weeks.

The forward speed of the clipper has slowed down on Thursday, which will allow for more substantial snow amounts across central Michigan Thursday into Friday. A thin swath of 6-12 inches of snow is in store for central Michigan, while more widespread amounts of 3-6 inches will fall from Wisconsin to Michigan.
Detroit, Mich., will get 2-4 inches of snow through Friday morning.

Roads could become slick across areas farther south and east as a wintry mix spreads. Rain will mix with sleet and snow before changing to all snow late this afternoon and evening in Chicago. Snow totals of 1-3 inches are expected in the city, while heavier amounts of 3-6 inches will pile up to the north and west.
A wintry mix will arrive in Toledo Thursday evening and Cleveland Thursday night. Accumulating snow will fall on top of an icy mix in these areas, threatening treacherous road conditions Friday morning and afternoon.
The storm will then cross southern Ontario and into western and central New York into Friday.
Cities in the path of significant and potentially heavy snow for a time include London and Toronto, Ontario, and Buffalo and Syracuse, N.Y.
Little or no snow is forecast farther south over much of the Ohio Valley. Temperatures there will be too warm or dry air will sweep in, cutting off the precipitation. However, a few slippery spots could develop Thursday night into Friday morning where any existing wet areas freeze up.

Significant snow is heading for Detroit and other major metropolitan areas around the Great Lakes region. (Photos.com image and thumbnail of the Belle Isle Bridge in Detroit, Mich.)

Enough snow or a wintry mix will fall toward Pittsburgh and the West Virginia mountains for slippery travel Thursday night into Friday.

Just a reminder, while the storm will be rather minor in the Chicago area on south in terms of travel impacts, much more substantial travel disruptions are likely farther north and east. An all-out blizzard will impact New England Friday into early Saturday with ripple-effect airline impacts likely across much of the nation. Significant storm travel impact is also possible in New York City.

Content contributed by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Meghan Evans.