Regardless of where you sit, if you’ve had a window anywhere close at hand you’ve seen the steady drumbeat of big, fluffy, abundant lake effect snow all morning long, and we’re barely begun. A Winter Weather Advisory for lake effect snow technically starts at 1pm, but tell that to the 5 or 6 inches of snow that has already fallen in a wide swath of Michigan’s Great Southwest…and to the thousands of travelers impacted by multiple shutdowns of key sections of Interstates 94 and 196 across the region.
Multiple slide offs, crashes, jackknifed semis and more have already forced shutdowns of stretches of freeway from Watervliet to South Haven and a whole lot of other folks had already elected to ditch the interstate in favor of traveling Red Arrow Highway. With re-routed traffic already clogging Red Arrow, it has been slow going for many travelers on this Wednesday morning and things look to get progressively worse as the lake effect machine powers up for even more between now and Friday night.
The National Weather Service office in Northwest Indiana says that new snowfall totals of up to two feet in northern Berrien and southern Van Buren Counties between this morning and Friday evening.
Accompanying the map shared here on Moody on the Market.com was the following commentary this morning:
“Lake effect snow showers will develop and become stronger and more numerous starting this afternoon and continuing into Friday. While the map above depicts some areas seeing a lot of snow, however as is always the case with lake effect, amounts as well as road conditions will vary greatly from location to location. Also, the snow, while heavy at times, will be spread out over a period of at least 48 hours. Away from the lake, light snow showers and flurries will be possible the next couple of days, with much lighter, if any accumulations. For the latest information, including current headlines and snow totals visit our website.”
The blowing, ultra-lightweight snow has caused frequent whiteout situations, leaving drivers battling vertigo and losing track of their direction of travel, frequently leading them into ditches, guard rails, and other hazardous situations. If your business dictates interstate travel today, use the ultimate in caution, slow down, turn your headlights on so others can see you, and drive as defensively as you can. Allow inordinately longer than usual lead times to make specific appointments or move them to another, less chaotic, day if you have that option.
