COLDWATER, MI — Branch County residents spent Sunday digging out after a significant winter storm delivered the area’s first county-wide eight-plus-inch snowfall since March 3, 2023.
The heavy, wet snow, which picked up in intensity Saturday evening and continued through Sunday morning, brought with it some picturesque winter scenery but created hazardous travel conditions throughout the county.
The National Weather Service confirmed that localized areas within the county, particularly around Kinderhook, received up to 8.5 inches of accumulation, with much of the surrounding areas seeing between seven and nine inches.
This was substantial change from the first snowfall of the year, which saw totals closer to three to four inches.
The storm’s impact was felt immediate on Saturday, with area law enforcement agencies, including the Branch County Sheriff’s Office, investigating a several slide-off accidents that occurred mainly during the evening hours on Saturday into early Sunday morning.
County officials had previously advised against non-essential travel due to the high likelihood that travel would become difficult. In response to the challenging conditions, road crews from the Branch County Road Commission, as well as street crews in Coldwater, Bronson, Quincy, Union City, and MDOT worked around the clock to clear roads and had made significant progress Sunday morning into the afternoon.
You will want to watch for black ice this morning as some areas saw the roads refreeze as temperatures dropped into the teens overnight.
There is more snow in the forecast tonight that could cause some issues with the Tuesday morning commute.
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