Metro Detroiters spent Monday digging out from the biggest snowfall of a winter season that is heading toward record books and tearing through road maintenance budgets.
Most of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties got about 8-10 inches of snow in the storm that began Sunday afternoon and ended Monday morning, the National Weather Service said. That topped the 5-9 inches most of the region got during the more-ballyhooed storm earlier this month that blasted Chicago.
This time around, the weather service had predicted 3-7 inches of snow capped by sleet and freezing rain. But meteorologists said Monday that the upper atmosphere stayed cold enough over metro Detroit to prevent freezing rain, giving the region more snow than expected. To the south, parts of Lenawee and Monroe counties saw less snow topped with half an inch of ice, said meteorologist Bryan Tilley.
The weather service said 54.1 inches of snow had fallen this season through Monday morning at Detroit Metro Airport. The 20th-snowiest season on record -- 1885-1886 -- was 56.6 inches.
The weather service said it was monitoring another storm system that has a chance to drop significant snowfall Thursday in Michigan. High temperatures will hit the middle to upper 20s today and around 32 degrees on Wednesday, ahead of that system.
This week's storm came as public schools and many government offices were closed for winter break and Presidents' Day, easing the traffic impact Monday. Michigan State Police reported crashes all over town, mostly fender benders and spinouts. AAA Michigan said it had taken 3,000 calls for assistance from motorists by 2 p.m.
Tri-county road agencies felt the strain and warned that annual maintenance budgets -- which cover snow removal and summertime repairs -- were taking a hit. Officials said most major roads would be clear by this morning but it could be a couple more days before crews reach local and neighborhood streets.
Craig Bryson, spokesman for the Road Commission for Oakland County, said the agency had been within its winter maintenance budget before the latest snowfall, but the timing -- on a holiday, meaning overtime for workers -- would prove costly.
Bob Mykytiak, maintenance superintendent for the Macomb County Department of Roads, said the county had used about 90% of its $3.8-million winter maintenance budget before the storm.
Michael Rogers, Wayne County's director of roads, said the department had burned through half of its yearly overtime budget before Sunday, so overtime was being restricted to emergences only.
Detroit officials said the city called in private contractors to help clear neighborhood streets and expected most to be clear by this morning.
The road agencies said they would continue to clear snow this winter, but the work will reduce money available for summertime road repairs and pothole patching.
http://www.freep.com/article/20110222/NEWS05/102220337/Metro-Detroit-burning-through-winter-budgets-snow-piles-on