REI Assistant Store Manager Noel Seeburg salts the sidewalk after shoveling in front of the store located in the Cranbrook Village Shopping Center on Wednesday afternoon.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
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There were numerous accidents reported Wednesday afternoon across Washtenaw County as a winter storm began blowing into the area.
Since snow started falling around 12:30 p.m., county dispatchers said they had received reports of eight separate accidents on area roadways. They included: eastbound M-14 at U.S. 23, westbound Interstate 94 at U.S. 23, eastbound I-94 and Baker, northbound U.S. 23 east of Willis, northbound 23 at North Territorial Road, southbound 23 at Geddes, westbound M-14 at Ford and northbound U.S. 23 and Plymouth.
Pittsfield Township dispatch had officers out at two accident on Ellsworth Road, one at Crystal Creek Drive and another at Silverleaf Drive.
There have been no reported injuries. Joyce Williams, spokeswoman for Huron Valley Ambulance, said at 1:40 p.m. there have been no medical transports. Ambulances did respond to a 10-car pile-up on southbound U.S. 23 between Geddes and Washtenaw at 1:13 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for all of Washtenaw County until 7 a.m. Thursday. Total snowfall accumulations of 4 to 7 inches are possible. The snow in southeast Michigan is just part of a major storm moving across the Northeast. Read more about the storm on MLive.com.
More than 1,000 airline flights have been canceled during the past 48 hours, according to a Detroit Free Press report. US Airways is even waiving the change fee for customers who must alter their flights due to severe Christmas weather, the Associated Press is reporting.
Updated at 3:30 p.m.:
A Washtenaw County dispatcher said there have been an estimated 20 to 30 reports of traffic accidents since snow moved into the area around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday -- many of them minor.
As of 3:30 p.m., the two main accidents blocking traffic were a rollover on northbound U.S. 23 at the Willis ramp and a three-car crash on southbound U.S. 23 at Washtenaw Avenue.
Williams said HVA hasn't transported anyone to the hospital yet due to the crashes, but ambulances have been dispatched to "many accidents."
Update at 4:30 p.m.:
A dispatcher said there are a lot of cars in ditches along area freeways as of 4:30 p.m., but not any major accidents.
Kirk Pennington, supervisor of street maintenance for Ann Arbor, said all seven trucks are out plowing and salting roadways in the city. At first, the trucks will only hit primary roads like Plymouth, State, Miller and Washtenaw, Pennington said. Side streets that are a fourth or fifth priority could remain untouched, he added.
The department's shift was set to change at 6 p.m. and Pennington anticipated all nine employees would be out in trucks working on snow removal overnight.
Check the AnnArbor.com weather page for updated forecasts anytime.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.