Update: Storm Warning Canceled; Now, Rochester Area Left to Shovel Out

Last night's winter storm dumped up to 10 inches of snow in parts of Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township overnight, making this morning's commute treacherous in many areas. Luckily, the area escaped ice accumulation altogether.

The National Weather Service canceled the winter storm warning around 7 Monday morning. The forecast calls for snow throughout today — and continuing the rest of the week.

Rochester, Lake Orion and Romeo community schools are already off today because of President's Day and mid-winter break. Oakland University is also on break all week, though the campus is closed today due to snow. Rochester College is also closed today, as is Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills.

Major delays are being reported on nearly every freeway and major road in the county, as most roads remain snow-covered and very slippery this morning.

Crews from the Road Commission for Oakland County have been battling the storm since 2 p.m. Sunday, when the first flakes started to fall. According to a statement from the commission, the county's full fleet of 106 trucks was on the road by 11:30 p.m.

"Overnight, the challenge was that the snow was coming down so hard that we couldn’t keep up with it," the statement said. "By the time a truck finished its plow route, the beginning of the route was completely covered again. Our garages are reporting we received 8 to 10 inches of snow across the county – far more than fell during the 'storm of the century' several weeks ago."

Because drivers cannot work more than 16 hours at a time, many of the trucks that were called out Sunday night will be idle for awhile today; the road commission is calling in all available bodies to continue to keep the roads clear.

Many communities, including Royal Oak, Clawson, Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and Ferndale, have declared snow emergencies, though Rochester and Rochester Hills have not. Main roads will be cleared first with subdivisions to follow.

Here are some other updates and cancellations related to the storm:

• In Rochester, there will be no trash collection Monday; trash collection has been delayed by one day for the rest of the week.
• Some downtown Rochester businesses have closed for the day Monday because of the snow; if you have a specific errand to run, call ahead before venturing out.