Snow and ice coat a parked car Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, in downtown St. Joseph, Mich. (AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell)
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DETROIT (AP) - Hundreds of Michigan schools closed Thursday as the state faced another day of dangerously cold temperatures and braced for more snow. Icy and snowy roads were blamed for four traffic deaths in the Lower Peninsula.
Detroit Public Schools and many other southern Michigan districts canceled classes Thursday, and some were already announcing plans to close again Friday.
Overnight temperatures dropped to minus 7 at Benton Harbor and minus 6 at Coldwater and Marshall, the National Weather Service said. Thursday afternoon's readings reached only into the teens or single digits, with Drummond Island and Pellston hitting 18 degrees.
Western parts of the state near Lake Michigan could get 6 to 10 inches of snow starting Thursday, and the Detroit area could get at least 2 inches of snow, the weather service said.
Grosse Pointe schools, near Detroit, were among the few in the area that held classes, despite the extreme temperatures. Students, of course, weren't happy.
"I have to walk home. I can't always get a ride," said Hannah Brauer, a junior at Grosse Pointe South High School.
Two students from the LakeVille Community Schools were killed in a crash Thursday in Genesee County's Forest Township, The Flint Journal reported. Their names weren't immediately released.
Elsewhere, two men were killed when drivers lost control of their cars and struck them Wednesday in northern Michigan.
Carl Dewey, 85, was crossing a road to pick up his mail when he was hit in Antrim County's Helena Township. Zane Chwastek, 64, of Kalkaska County's Bear Lake Township was using a snow blower in his driveway when a car slid off the road and struck him.
In southwestern Michigan, authorities set up warming centers after 680 homes and businesses lost natural gas service Wednesday in Berrien County's Chikaming Township. The majority had service back by Thursday morning.
In Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan said authorities might have to shut down a tent city in a park east of downtown because conditions were too harsh for the homeless residents.
In this Jan. 7, 2015 photo, snow covers the sand dunes leading up to Lake Michigan on the Mount Baldhead trail in Saugatuck, Mich. Dangerously cold air has sent temperatures plummeting into the single digits around the U.S., with wind chills driving them even lower. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Emily Rose Bennett)
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In this Jan. 7, 2015 photo, snow covers the sand dunes leading up to Lake Michigan on the Mount Baldhead trail in Saugatuck, Mich. Dangerously cold air has sent temperatures plummeting into the single digits around the U.S., with wind chills driving them even lower. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Emily Rose Bennett)
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Maddie Jenson, 4, shovels snow in front of her home along State Street in St. Joseph, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell)
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A pedestrian walks across Gillette Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Hugh Carey) ALL LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION INTERNET OUT
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Vehicles involved in a 30-40 car accident rest after colliding going southbound on U.S. 31 north of Russell Road, in Muskegon, Mich, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/The Muskegon Chronicle, Andraya Croft) ALL LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION INTERNET OUT
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Car debris lies in the snow scattered amongst emergency vehicles and vehicles which were part of the 30 car accident going southbound on U.S. 31 north of Russell Road, in Muskegon, Mich., on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/The Muskegon Chronicle, Andraya Croft ) ALL LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION INTERNET OUT
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A woman shields her face from the snow and wind as she makes her way down Division Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. A winter storm warning with snow and below-freezing windchills is in effect through Friday afternoon. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Emily Rose Bennett) ALL LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION INTERNET OUT
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University of Michigan-Flint student Will Rieske, 22, of Flint, bikes through dangerously cold temperatures and wind chill while riding to class at the University of Michigan-Flint campus on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 in downtown Flint., Mich. (AP Photo/The Flint Journal-MLive.com, Erin Kirkland) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT
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