Snow impacts flights, travel on the roads - Fox 2 News Headlines

By Ronnie Dahl
Fox 2 News

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -- Around 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, the snow started to fall in metro Detroit.  It was pretty to look at, but not so nice to drive in.

"Seen some guy almost rear end somebody on the corner," one man said.

"I don't like it.  It's horrible.  I can't take it, and I'm glad I have four wheel drive because I don't want to get in an accident," said Kelley Mulligan.

The same storm system has crippled parts of the nation.  At Detroit Metro Airport, people anxiously watched the arrivals and departures board.  Passengers flying out after the holidays were hoping to make it home while others were left waiting for their loved ones to arrive.

"I see it's coming up from the south and hoping I can beat it just in time," one man said.

"They're finally deiced and now they're waiting to take off," said Jan Sewick.  "I'm checking the chart and a lot of flights are canceled.  I just hope they don't pop up canceled."

Employees with the Wayne County Road Commission are relying on technology to stay ahead of the snow storm.  Cameras on snow plows and salt trucks can relay road conditions in real time.

"We have AVL on all of our 158 trucks.  We have video cameras on 19 of the trucks, and the public can go to a site called compass.waynecounty.com.  You can go and look at the roads in Wayne County.  You can click on the truck to see which roads have been cleared, and the ones that have a green square or a green circle actually have the video footage, so you can do a virtual drive along and see what the conditions look like from a driver's perspective," said Wayne County Deputy COO Cindy Nocerini Dingell.

Road crews are going to be on overtime working through the evening to try to get the roadways clear.  Their game plan as the snow falls is to do multiple passes throughout the evening, and then once the snow does stop, they'll try to go back over it with some salt depending on the temperatures.

Of course, we say it every year, if you have to be out in this weather, take it slow, leave plenty of room between you and the person ahead of you, as well as the snow plows.