Dangerous winter conditions are occurring this morning due to snow and blowing snow and high winds.
Travel will be very difficult this morning due to significantly reduced visibility in blowing snow which could create near whiteout conditions at times.
It will be very cold today with steady to slowly falling temperatures and wind chill readings of 5 to 15 degrees below zero.
The Michigan Office of Emergency Management has requested that drivers stay off the roads in northern Lower Michigan due to blizzard conditions and whiteout conditions. That request applies from Roscommon and Gladwin counties north.
Forecasters say high winds will persist through this morning, with gusts up to the 50 mph range, producing blowing and drifting snow, and the potential for scattered power outages. Arctic wind chills in the double digit below zero range are likely.
A second storm on its way has prompted the weather service to post a winter storm watch for late Thursday night into Friday night from mid-Michigan south. The new storm has the potential to produce 6 or more inches of snow.