Calm Before The Storm: Detroit Readies For Snow
Pallets of salt and ice remover greet customers entering Nankin's Hardware on Ford Road. An employee was loading a bag in a customer's car, early Monday, soon after opening the store.
General Manager Bob Rates expects to move a lot of it over the next couple of days.
"I expect (today) to sell a lot of salt and shovels," he said. "As we get into Tuesday night and Wednesday I don't know if we're going to have anybody in here."
Rates tells WWJ's Ron Dewey the last time there was a snowstorm of this magnitude, he was shuttling his employees from their homes to the store. He expects a lot of customers Wednesday to be busy digging themselves out or just staying inside.
Over at Wayne Lawn and Garden Center, the doors had not been open for a few minutes before the phones were ringing steadily and customers started streaming in for parts and snowthrowers.
The owner, Dennis Hermatz says they are ready. "We've been here 63 years and have gone through a lot of snowstorms, but we anticipate with the heavier snow that people will burn up a belt, break a scraper blade, we have all the parts for all brands of snowthrowers.
Like Rates, Hermatz does not expect to be busy Wednesday, the day of the storm, but expects to see more people the following day who need repairs or a new snowthrower. He advises the best thing you can do is make sure your snowthrower is good to go before the snow.
Monday Night: Cloudy. A slight chance of light snow through 10 PM, then a chance of snow through midnight, then snow. Accumulations up to 2 inches. Lows 13 to 17. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90 percent.
Tuesday and Wednesday: With up to 12 inches of snow expected in Southeast Michigan, a winter storm watch is now in effect from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening. According to the National Weather Service, heavy snow accumulations on roads may severely affect travel Tuesday night and Wednesday, and may make it dangerous to attempt.
Forecasters say visibilities may be reduced to one mile or less in snow and blowing snow and heavy snow on trees and power-lines may cause power outages. Wind chills are expected to fall to between 0 and -5 Tuesday night.
For the latest, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s. Get more on our weather page.
