It's that time of year again: Light snowfall may lead to slippery commute

LANSING – A slow-moving storm system pivoting up from the Ohio River Valley was expected to drop snow on parts of the Lansing region Monday night and into Tuesday.

The best chance for snow was in the eastern part of the Lansing area, with some areas seeing up to an inch, before the storm system rides off to the northeast by Tuesday evening, forecasters said.

But even a light snowfall could cause problems for drivers who haven't had to deal with slick roads for months. That's because temperatures were expected to fall well below freezing on Monday night, making for a potentially dicey morning commute.

"Ice can still form with even a little bit of snow," said Andrea Honor, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids. "It could still have some impacts."

Spotters in the Lansing area reported up to a half-inch of snow on Monday morning, Honor said. The weather station at Capital Region International Airport recorded flurries until about 7 a.m., she said.

The weather service advised that any roads wet from snow or rain as far west as Lansing and Jackson could become slick on Monday night.

The storm's impacts were expected to extend about as far west as Lansing, with snow accumulations rising toward southeast Michigan, the weather service said. Livingston County, for example, was expected to get about two inches of snow through Tuesday afternoon.

Highs will be in the mid- to upper 30s on Tuesday, with northwest winds gusting to about 26 mph, forecasters said.

The rest of the week will be drier and warmer, with sunny skies and highs in the low 40s. 

Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.