In the News: Weather reports and what weather has wrought

Bitter weather is expected to continue into tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 28) with high temperatures topping out at 12 degrees and the lows dropping down to -2 degrees and wind chills down to -10, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday may be partly sunny, bringing temps up to near 17 degrees, only to plunge down to 5 degrees Saturday night. This cold has created some weather-related situations across Detroit. Read on to find out what’s in the news.

Detroit crews work around the clock as 51 water main breaks hit aging infrastructure system

DETROIT (WXZY) — Crews with the city of Detroit are working around the clock to address 51 water main breaks across the city as extreme winter weather tests the aging infrastructure system. Detroit Water and Sewerage Director Gary Brown said crews are managing to keep water flowing to all residents despite the widespread breaks affecting pipes that are up to 100 years old, with some dating back to the 1800s. “There’s nobody without water, but before we go home tonight, we make sure that if there’s a break that has a block out of water, that gets fixed before we go home and then we start all over tomorrow morning,” Brown said. Mayor Mary Sheffield and other city leaders discussed the ongoing work on the aging pipe system in a meeting with the press. A map of water main breaks displayed at the meeting showed the main areas of concern across Detroit. The department is spending $100 million annually to rebuild the system while replacing 600 miles of pipe each year. Brown said the entire system should be updated within four to five years. The problem is keeping the repairs affordable so that they do not result in water rates that residents can’t afford, Brown said.

Read the full story, here.

By Glenda Lewis, WXZY

Shoveling assistance available for at-risk residents in Metro Detroit

The snow and frigid temperatures are a risk to seniors and people with disabilities. Shoveling is not recommended for those groups, but luckily, there are free programs that can help. Light snow fell across parts of Southeast Michigan on Tuesday, and inside her Detroit home, Letitia Cuyler looks forward to the end of winter. Cuyler uses a cane to navigate her home. “After I retired, they discovered that I had a disease in my knee, which was osteoarthritis, separation of the bone,” Cuyler said. Because of her mobility issues, Cuyler searched online for programs that could help with shoveling. That’s when she learned about Serve Detroit. “I called over to my district office, and I spoke to Mr. Hughes, and he was just so polite, and I explained to him how it was handicapped, and he said, ‘You’re a senior, you’re qualified,'” Cuyler said. Like other seniors 65 and older or those with a registered handicap license plate, Cuyler qualified for the free snow removal service.Volunteers come out when the is six inches in one snow storm. Volunteers like professional landscaper Robert Muhammad say the work is fulfilling. The need is so great, with about a thousand addresses on the list, that the initiative could use even more volunteers. “So, we were able to hit 500 homes this week alone, just off the volunteers that we already have, but we want to expand it more,” Hughes said. Residents can call 313-224-4415 to get more information and get added to the list to be paired with a volunteer. Volunteers can sign up on the city of Detroit’s website.

Read and watch the full story, here.

By Veronica Ortega, CBS News

Denby residents stuck inside after water main break upends northeast Detroit neighborhood

Mounds of snow and a thick layer of jagged ice covered the sidewalk and street on Laing Street near Denby High School. Crews attended to the water main break Tuesday morning as some residents were stuck in their driveways with ice blocking their vehicles. Some residents who spoke to Michigan Chronicle said they or members of their family were unable to make it to work due to the icy street. It’s one of dozens of water main breaks across Detroit, as officials say extreme cold is challenging the city’s infrastructure. A CAT excavator hauled the ice/snow mix off the road on Laing Street between Britain Avenue and Morang Drive as residents like Chris Williams watched on after shoveling his driveway. … Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and Detroit Sewage and Water Department leaders said the water main break near Denby is just one of 51 water main breaks across the entire city. Sheffield held a press conference at the department headquarters building on Huber Street Tuesday afternoon with DSWD director Gary Brown, who thanked the mayor for being reappointed to the position under the new administration. Brown said there are more than 275 hydrants out of service, 77 being frozen with more than a dozen being reportedly hit by cars. He encouraged residents to report any spouting hydrant to the Improve Detroit app or by calling 313-267-8000. “Crews have been working around the clock in extreme conditions to repair the water main breaks and make our streets safe for our families and drivers in Detroit,” Sheffield said.…” Sam Smalley, deputy director of DSWD, told reporters Tuesday that Detroit-based contractors had stepped up to provide additional resources to help accelerate repairs. “This is all hands on deck,” Smalley said.

Read the full story, here.

By Sam Robinson, Michigan Chronicle

Have we had more snow than normal in Metro Detroit this winter? The numbers don’t lie

DTW has measured twice as much snow as last year, 7.1 inches above average

DETROIT – Have we had more snow than usual in Metro Detroit so far this winter? It sure seems like it, but we wanted to take a look at the numbers. The 4Warn Weather team took a look at the data from Dec. 1, 2025, through the morning of Jan. 26, 2026. Dec. 1 is the official start of meteorological winter. This year, Detroit Metro Airport has had 27.2 inches of snow. Last year, from the same dates, we had received just 12.3 inches of snow. So Metro Detroit has more than doubled its snowfall as of Jan. 26. This doesn’t even include the 5.9 inches of snow we got in November. In a normal year, we would have gotten 20.1 inches of snow by Jan. 26, so we’re 7.1 inches above average for the season so far. 

Read the full story, here.

By Ashlee Baracy and Derick Hutchinson