Winter weather alerts have been issued for several counties in Michigan due to dangerously cold wind chills and the chance for accumulating snow in some areas.

On Thursday at 2:43 a.m. EST a cold weather advisory was released by the National Weather Service valid from Friday 1 a.m. EST until Saturday 10 a.m. EST for Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clare, Oceana, Newaygo,

The meteorologists said the polar vortex system is set up due north of Michigan over Canada's Hudson Bay. It's at least partly responsible for the frigid temperatures around the region that contributed this week to a 100-vehicle pileup in southwest Michigan and led the city of Detroit to declare a cold weather health emergency.

A 4Warn Weather Alert has been issued for Friday and Saturday in Metro Detroit. We issue a 4Warn Weather Alert when we’re expecting weather conditions that will be inconvenient to our viewers. We have issued a 4Warn Weather Alert for Friday, Jan. 23, and Saturday, Jan. 24, due to the extreme cold.

From snow squalls to bone-chilling temperatures, Michigan is staring at seven straight days of pure winter weather this week.

In the Lower Peninsula, winter storm warnings are in place for the entire Lake Michigan shoreline, including Berry, Van Buren, Allegan, Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Newaygo, Lake, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Grand Traverse, Leelaneau, Antrim, Otsego and Emmet counties.

A winter storm caused a pile-up of more than 100 vehicles including at least 30 lorries in Michigan. Drone footage posted to the Fox Weather X account showed the road completely covered in snow, with jack-knifed trucks and vehicles that had slid off the road in a huge chain-reaction crash.