Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed an order declaring a state of emergency in Michigan due to dangerous subzero weather.
Whitmer announced the order Monday night, saying it will help address threats to public health and safety due to this week's cold snap. She says in a statement "it is imperative that we are proactive" amid "widespread, extreme conditions."
Whitmer also activated the State Emergency Operations Center that's located at the Michigan State Police headquarters. The center coordinates response and recovery efforts by state agencies and local government during disasters or emergencies.
The update comes after most state government offices in the Lower Peninsula were closed Monday due to heavy snow that hit Michigan.
Hundreds of schools were closed Tuesday, including Detroit's public schools, as cleanup from the snow continued.
Environment Canada has also issued an extreme cold warning for Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.
A frigid arctic air mass and strong winds will result in wind chill values of -30 Celcius to -35 Tuesday night through to Friday morning.
Overnight low temperatures between -20 and -25 degrees combined with winds gusting between 50 and 70 km/h will result in wind chill values in the range of -30 to -35.
Conditions should improve Friday as milder air moves into the region.
With files from CTV Windsor.
