DETROIT – Rain is already moving into SE Lower Michigan and Southern Ontario early Thursday with heavier rain on the way.

You can expect showers from the south to really fill in and intensify during the morning hours. Some areas will see more than an inch of rain through the early afternoon so be mindful of flooding concerns on the roads and in your basements.

The majority of Metro Detroit is under a Winter Storm Warning mainly for concerns of very heavy snow this afternoon and evening which could drop 5-6 inches or more, especially along and north of M-59.

The focus is the afternoon change from rain to snow. That will happen sooner in our North Zone as the rest of us may not see the flakes flying until 3 or 4 p.m. Be ready either way as the evening drive will be slushy and slippery.

The advisory means travel will be difficult and you should think twice about being out on the roads late afternoon through the evening. Temps near 40 degrees will fall into the low and mid 30s later today and the winds will be cranking NE/NW 10-20 mph gusting near 30 mph.

Snow ends early Friday morning

Snow should end by 3 or 4 a.m. on Friday after most of Detroit gets a total of 3-6 inches with some areas seeing more -- mainly north of Detroit. But that band of consistent and heavy snow is still uncertain.

But temps are cool Friday morning in the 20s, so watch out for slush and ice on the roads even though it won’t be snowing. The sun comes blasting out tomorrow with temps in the upper 30s to low 40s and still breezy or windy NW 10-25 mph.

Weekend outlook

The weekend looks dry and cool with 20s for lows and highs in the low 40s both days. We may avoid showers on Monday, but wet weather approaches Monday night into Tuesday with a wintry mix likely. It’s early to lock in on anything now but be prepared for a colder end of the week next week.

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