Any lingering icing from last night will transition to snow this morning, creating hazardous road conditions, especially in areas near the lakeshore. That's according to the National Weather Service. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. Monday night.
Communities across northwest Michigan can expect anywhere from 3 to 8 inches of snow today. Snow mixed with sleet is falling across much of the region.
"And that, essentially, is like driving on little BBs, it's like driving through sand," said Matt Gillen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord. "It's much worse than a foot or two of snow."
Meteorologists expect heavy snow and strong winds to persist until Tuesday morning, followed by extremely cold temperatures through Tuesday night that could be dangerous to anyone without power.
Great Lakes Energy's outage map shows nearly 8,000 customers are affected, mainly concentrated in Osceola, Kalkaska and Crawford counties. Consumers Energy estimates about 88,000 people are affected. 480 crews sent out by Consumers are working to restore power.
As of early this morning, an AT&T outage is affecting Grand Traverse County's 911 lines. Those with an emergency should call 231-922-4550 if their call to dispatch does not connect.
In a Facebook post, Grand Traverse County Emergency Management wrote, "Grand Traverse Road Commission and City of Traverse City Streets are ... working the main roads as best they can, but all roads are extremely bad."
The county wrote it expects it to take longer than usual to clear the roads because of the windy conditions and heavy, wet snow.
School closures are widespread and many government buildings, like courts, are opening late today or closed. A number of Munson Healthcare facilities will open late or remain closed today.
This page will be updated as conditions continue.