Ready or not, first snow of the season coming Saturday

(WJBK) - Well, we knew it wouldn't last forever. Novembers record high temps are gone ... and the first snow of the year is on tap for this weekend. Let's get right to it.

Snowflakes will start to fall around 3 a.m. Saturday morning. Initally we will see about half an inch area wide through the morning hours Saturday. The heaviest snow is expected in the afternoon and evening. That is when we will really see the bulk of the snow (think Bill Murray in Caddyshack, "I don't think the heavy stuffs gonna come down for quite awhile").

Of course, here is where I get into annoying weatherman speak: not all of us will see the heavy snow. Right now it looks like the more NW you are of the city the more snow you'll get. For all areas near downtown and south we will see significantly less. And when I say "significantly less" I mean, like, almost none.

Take a look at the graphic below.

Areas around from Jackson to Howell to Fenton to Lapeer are in the area that has the best chance of seeing the 3-6" snow that people are talking about. If you are east of that (like, Canton, Novi, Livonia, Troy, Romeo) you fall in the 1-3" range. And if you are east of that (Detroit, Monroe, Mt Clemens) you call in the 0-1" range with more of a wintry mix than snow. It's a tight gradient, but sometimes that happens. Sure does make for a confusing forecast!

Also something to keep in mind: The NWS has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the entire area until 9 p.m. Saturday night. This means that it is likely that we will see some significant winter conditions (especially on the roads) on Saturday. But, as previously highlighted, some will see it much worse than others.

Stay with the FOX 2 Weather Authority team for updates on the storm. 

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