Planning To Travel For The Holidays? You Better Leave From Michigan Today

It's the final week of the year for a lot of us, and we'll all counting down the hours until we can hit the road to be with our family and loved ones. And if you have plans to leave to travel long distances, you may want to pack up and head out early if you're able.

And if you're thinking to yourself: these storms aren't that bad. We got more snow last weekend, I can travel: think twice. The unique factor that makes this storm different than other storms is that it's not about the snow totals: it's about the wind and chill.

They expect winds to cause what are called "ground blizzards", that cause what snow that has fallen to cause white out conditions as the wind whips it around on the ground. This quick moving snow, will likely flash freeze to roads, causing them to turn into an ice skating rink of sorts.

Of course, keep your eyes on local media for up-to-the-minute updates, and take action to make sure you're prepared for any emergencies that may arise while you're traveling or stuck at home if you avoid going out into the storm later this week.

Planning to fly? There's a handy flight tracker to see if you're still good to go from GRR.