Freezing rain and sleet arriving Wednesday night in Southeast Michigan
(CBS DETROIT) - Our next round of winter weather arrives Wednesday night in Southeast Michigan with a mix of everything, but a focus on ice.
A winter weather advisory has been issued for all of our counties through Thursday morning.
A light amount of snow should move in after sunset as cold temperatures hang on.
As the evening progresses the temperature will change enough to switch our precipitation to sleet.
Sleet should accumulate around an inch, which can cause travel issues on its own, along with a glaze of freezing rain.
Freezing rain begins falling in the middle of the night and will continue up until sunrise on Thursday morning.
Ice accretion can be very tricky and is dependent on conditions such as air temperature, temperature aloft and even wind.
This is not an ice storm as numbers remain well below one-quarter of an inch.
However, travel hazards and school delays or cancellations are likely for Thursday morning for areas south of I-96.
In Monroe County, superintendents plan to meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to determine the next step if the county is impacted. Jefferson Schools superintendent Amy Gee says the meeting comes after speaking with local meteorologists.
Western Washtenaw tends to see higher amounts of icing events, so keep a close eye on conditions due to the higher elevation.
The atmosphere is primed for this setup due to the temperature showcased on multiple levels.
When the air is warm throughout the column, rain is the primary form of precipitation we expect, and vice versa when it is below freezing we see snow.
Freezing rain requires a cold layer at the surface and warm air above to allow the drop to fall as rain but reach the freezing point as it hits an object to freeze instantly.
Sleet takes a larger layer of cold air to form and therefore falls as small ice pellets.
Stay with the NEXT Weather Team as we continue tracking this system and plan for commute and school updates on Thursday morning.
