News photo by Reagan Voetberg The U.S. Coast Guard Station in downtown Alpena is pictured in the snow storm on Monday afternoon.

ALPENA — Alpena residents woke up Monday morning after the Christmas weekend to snow and poor road conditions. The weather only got worse as the day moved forward, as heavy snow and high winds caused whiteout conditions and made travel treacherous, especially in more rural areas of Alpena County.

On Sunday, the Alpena area received rain and freezing rain, which transitioned into snow in the early morning hours of Monday. The severe weather was caused by a cold front moving in to replace the warmer air Northeast Michigan enjoyed during Christmas, Faith Fredrickson, National Weather Service meteorologist said.

There were some stronger winds caused by the storm which resulted in scattered power outages in Northern Michigan, as of early Monday afternoon, but the winds continued to howl and local utilities braced for more outages.

Several City of Alpena and Alpena County offices opened late or closed early due to the weather conditions. Some businesses also opened late with limited hours due to the storm.

On Monday from 6:54 a.m. to 12:54 p.m., 2.47 inches of snow reached the ground, with 1.01 inches being added in one hour between 10:54 a.m. and 11:54 a.m.

Ryan Brege, Alpena County Road Commission Managing Director, said that the plows were sent out before 4 a.m. Monday morning.

The roads were not too bad early morning, he said, but conditions worsened later in the day, as the wind increased to near 50 miles an hour.

Brege said there was a lot of blowing and drifting, clogging up roads. When storms like Monday’s come through, the state highways are plowed first and then other primary roads.

“As we get time, we try to open up the rest of our roads that get plugged, with this drifting we’re going to see a lot of that,” Brege said.

The storm was expected to quiet down slowly through Monday afternoon, and reach its end Monday night and into this morning, Fredrickson said.

Another system is expected to bring a few inches of snow later tonight, she said.

In the next week or two, Fredrickson said to expect a more active pattern of weather with chances for snow at least through next Monday. It also looks like it’s going to trend a bit colder over the next few days and into the new year, with highs in the late teens expected.

According to the National Weather Service forecast for Alpena County, there is a 30 percent chance of snow showers before 1 a.m. on the night of New Year’s Eve. It will be mostly cloudy with a low around seven degrees. Be sure to bundle up for any outdoor New Year’s Eve festivities.

On New Year’s day, forecasts show that skies will be mostly cloudy with a high near 15 degrees.

Reagan Voetberg. News Staff Writer. rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.