Just In Time For Town's Ice Fest, a Snow Day in Rochester Today

Superintendent Fred Clarke's voice greeted Rochester parents before the sun rose Friday morning announcing the town's first snow day of the 2011-12 school year.

The closing was attributed to hazardous road conditions, Clarke said. As of 6:00 a.m. there were more than 125 delays and closings reported across southeast Michigan.

Holy Family Regional School, St. John Lutheran School and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest are also closed today. Oakland University is already closed because of winter break.

The snow started falling in Rochester around 11 p.m. Thursday night; at 5:15 a.m., when the school closing was announced, about an inch and a half of snow lined the streets.

According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm warning is in effect until 7 p.m. today. A total accumulation of 3 to 5 inches is possible today, with between 1 and 2 inches possible Friday night. Snow is also in the forecast Saturday; on Sunday, the sky is expected to be partly sunny.

The snow, in Rochester at least, couldn't be more appropriate today: downtown's popular , which had been because of a lack of snow, begins at 6 tonight and continues all day Saturday. Ice sculptures will begin to arrive in front of downtown businesses this morning, and fireworks are planned for 8 p.m.

Before you head out, check the Patch real-time traffic map; follow us on Facebook for updates about road conditions.