Storm Dumps Up To 9 Inches of Snow, Clawson Declares Snow Emergency

Snowblowers buzzed throughout neighborhoods Monday morning as residents worked to dig out of up to 9 inches of snow. The city of Clawson declared a snow emergency, meaning parking on the streets is prohibited until Department of Public Works workers have cleared them. 

The National Weather Service had issued a winter storm warning Sunday for Royal Oak, Clawson, Ferndale, Berkley and surrounding areas that was to remain in effect until 7 a.m. Monday.

"Moderate to heavy accumulations of snow will cover roadways, making them slick and potentially dangerous," the NWS warned commuters. "Heavier bursts of snow will reduce visibilities to one-quarter of a mile or less."

Doug Ballard, assistant superintendent for the DPW, said snow plow trucks were out until about 10 p.m. Sunday night and resumed at 3 a.m. Monday. Ballard said they had to plow the main roads twice because of the heavy snow accumulations. The DPW hopes to have all side streets cleared by noon.

Accumulations of ice, along with heavy winds, could cause power outages, NWS added. Fortunately, as of Monday morning, no power outages were reported in Royal Oak, Clawson, Berkley or Huntington Woods, according to DTE. A single outage was reported in Ferndale.

Take heart: The official start of spring is March 20 – less than a month away.

Click on the video for advice from MDOT on what to do when you're driving near snowplows. For up-to-date information on statewide lane and road closures, go to: www.michigan.gov/drive. You can also follow MDOT at www.twitter.com/MichiganDOT  or www.facebook.com/MichiganDOT.