After the Storm, The Cold Sets In

Now that the winter storm, which left Shelby with about 6 inches of fresh snow on the ground has passed, the really cold temperatures set in.

As Shelby and Utica continue to dig out Thursday make sure to bundle up because temperatures will dip to -9 degrees with the wind chill value.

Friday will be really sunny, but don't let that decive you because it will be -10 with the wind chill.

Shelby Township and Utica residents may have expected the worst Wednesday morning when they peered out their windows.

But what they found was not the snowpocalypse some feared. A moderate amount of snowfall, slightly more than a few inches, drifted over the existing white blanket on the ground.

The National Weather Service downgraded the blizzard warning for southeast Michigan to a winter weather advisory on Wednesday, stating an additional one to three inches of snow were expected. There's still some cautionary reports for travel since sleet and freezing rain can also be anticipated, according to the service.

School

Utica Community Schools were closed Wednesday.  The district announced the closings Tuesday night.

Macomb Community College had canceled all Tuesday evening and Wednesday classes.

Government

The Shelby Township Municipal Building remained open Wednesday.

Curbside trash pickup was canceled for Wednesday. Customers normally serviced on Wednesday will see pick up on Thursday.

Police and Fire

The Shelby Police Department has declared a snow emergency, which means residents should not park on city streets.

Vehicles that are not removed will be towed at the owner's expense. The snow emergency will remain in effect until Saturday evening.

Shelby police Chief Robert Leman said the parks and recreation department has loaned the police department several of its four-wheel drive vehicles, so that officers can get to residents on particularly tough and snow covered roads.

“Obviously, the vehicles don’t have emergency equipment, so we won’t be using them for normal patrol,” said Leman.

Road Commission of Macomb County

 All 75 of Macomb County’s salt trucks were deployed overnight Tuesday to get the streets cleared.

Bob Hoepfner, director of the Road Commission of Macomb County, said the department will be asking the township’s plow trucks to pitch in, and if need be, they may hire independent contractors.

Hoepfner said his crews will begin clearing the state highways first, then make their way to the county’s primary roads, local streets and then last, the suburban streets.

“The roads won’t be perfect in the morning,” said Hoepfner. “I would strongly recommend that if you don’t have to go somewhere, that you don’t.”

As far as salt, Hoepfner said the county has plenty of salt to get through the storm, with 38,000 tons of salt at five different salt reservoirs in Macomb County.  

However, Hoepfner said the county has already blown its snow removal budget for the year.

For more information about the Macomb County Department of Roads, click here.