First snow storm of the season
Fri, Dec 4, 2009 
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BY BRIAN KEILEN
bkeilen@grandhaventribune.com
A layer of snow nearly a foot deep blanketed parts of the area overnight, closing schools and slowing traffic commuting to work this morning.
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Slightly more than 5 inches of snow had fallen in Grand Haven as of 5:45 this morning, WZZM-TV meteorologist Hally Vogel said, and around 7 inches were reported in West Olive. Allendale and Walker were the hardest hit by the first snowfall of the season, according to Vogel — receiving 11 and 13 inches of snow, respectively.
National Weather Service trained spotters reported 15 inches had fallen at Marne by 9 a.m. and 7.5 inches in the Grand Haven at 8:15 a.m., with a report of 14 inches at Coopersville this morning.
Ottawa and Kent counties remained under a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. today. An additional 2-4 inches of snow are expected to accumulate in that time, Vogel said.
The snow storm comes in contrast to weather earlier this week, which featured unseasonably high temperatures for the first week of December.
"It was like golf on Tuesday, ski on the weekend," Vogel said.
Today's winter weather also closed area schools and caused a few traffic hiccups.
While the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety didn't report any weather-related traffic incidents from the snow storm, they did assist the Michigan State Police in one on Robbins Road. Overall, state troopers responded to six weather-related incidents, said Sgt. Jack Waterway of the Grand Haven post.
The Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Police Department also reported assisting at six weather-related crashes through press time today. No serious injuries were reported from any of them.
Low temperatures are expected into next week, Vogel said, but the main accumulation of snow seems to be past. Light dustings of snow are expected throughout the weekend, but not much else.
"The brunt of it is the first part of today and last night," Vogel said.
Area school districts that closed today included Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Allendale. Spring Lake Public Schools also canceled all of its sports activities for this evening, but the Grand Haven and Fruitport districts will hold sports activities as scheduled.
WZZM-TV forecasts a high temperature of 32 and a 40-percent chance of snow for Saturday.
That should bode well for the Chamber of Commerce Grand Haven-Spring Lake-Ferrysburg's annual Jingle Bell Parade in downtown Grand Haven, which is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Saturday. A tree-lighting ceremony is scheduled to take place at Central Park immediately following the parade.
On the Net:
www.wzzm13.com/weather
www.grandhaventribune.com/weather/weather-index.htm
