Snow could make travel treacherous in southwest Michigan along the I-94 corridor

BENTON HARBOR, MI – Treacherous travel conditions are expected to continue tonight and into Tuesday in some areas of southwest Michigan, including the I-94 corridor, the National Weather Service said.

The snowy lake effect, which may be heavy at times, is expected to continue tonight into early Tuesday. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday for Cass and Berrien counties and 7 a.m. Tuesday for Van Buren, Allegan and Ottawa counties.

“Additional snow accumulations (from 2 p.m. today through 2 p.m. Tuesday) of 4 to 10+ inches are expected,” said National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists in the northern Indiana office. “The highest snow amounts are expected to occur in Berrien and Cass Counties, Michigan, extending into far northern Indiana along I-80/I-90.”

“Significant impacts on travel are likely this evening and Tuesday morning. At this time, we expect the Tuesday morning commute to be treacherous, particularly on US 20, I-80/I-90 and I-94. Roads will be covered in snow and visibility will be severely reduced where snow is falling.”

Poor visibility was already a problem today on westbound I-94, which authorities had to close after a “whiteout” accident involving three tractor-trailers and 14 other vehicles. One person was critically injured in the collision, which occurred near the Hartford exit in Van Buren County just before 1 p.m.