Storm could drop heavy snow on parts of state

DETROIT (AP) - Road crews are preparing for what could be a major winter storm with up to nine inches of snow expected in a band south of Lansing and including metropolitan Detroit.

Spokeswoman Jessica Mistak says Wayne County's 124 trucks are loaded with salt. She says conditions will be monitored and crews will go out when roads become slick.

National Weather Service meteorologist Amos Dodson says the heaviest snow Tuesday likely will fall along Michigan's border with Indiana and Ohio.

Snowfall has been light in many parts of Michigan since Oct. 1. The Detroit area is nearly 10 inches below its 29-inch average.

Darryl Husk says the relatively mild winter has left his Farmington ACE Hardware stocked with essentials. He says demand for gloves, rock salt and snow shovels was brisk Monday.