The first big blast of winter snow and arctic air hit Detroit drivers early this morning.
Both Wayne and Oakland counties put hundreds of snow plows and salt trucks to work overnight to keep the highways clear in time for rush hour traffic and it was noticeable.
But crashes were inevitable as the snow fell all morning creating slick roads.
A semi-truck jack-knifed on northbound I-75 at Vernor Highway, and by 7am Michigan State Police had already responded to seven crashes.
The highways are clear again this afternoon, but the big story is the side streets and neighborhood roads where messy snow is still on the ground.
"It was more than what I expected it to be. It looks like we got about 4 or 5 inches over the last few days, I wasn't expecting that,” said Norm Dehnke.
The retiree in Sylvan Lake spent his morning braving the biting winds to snow plow for his neighbors at work.
"You get a stiff breeze and no matter how much you've got on it pushes through it."
Most areas of metro Detroit saw 3 to 5 inches of snow overnight, with more expected Dehnke’s work may just be starting.
