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Sunshine, storms, lake-effect this week

Posted at 9:13 PM, Sep 07, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-07 21:19:17-04

WEST MICHIGAN — Perhaps the headline says it all! Sums our weather up over the next several days…but let’s break it down further so we’re all on the same page.

Monday and Tuesday this week will be quiet and uneventful. It will be comfortable, pleasant, and temperatures will make the upper 70s to near 80 degrees with little humidity. By Wednesday, the humidity will build, the winds will increase, and an unusually strong area of low pressure will blast in to the Great Lakes and generate the possibility of heavy rain and strong/severe thunderstorms. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has Michigan in a risk for severe weather. See image below.

Take a look at the computer forecast model image (below) from Wednesday mid-day. All the green and blue over Michigan is accumulated precipitation. Note the “L” over the state as well. Stormy conditions are indeed on the way!

After this Fall-type system moves through the state, expect sharply cooler temperatures on Thursday with some lake-effect clouds and a rain shower or two possible. As colder air moves over the relatively warmer waters of Lake Michigan Friday, more lake clouds and scattered showers are likely. Highs will struggle to reach the 60s!

High pressure building back in to the region should give us sunshine Saturday, but the cool air mass will remain in place with highs only in the low/mid 60s. We even have the chance of frost in some areas (north of Grand Rapids) later this week as overnight low temperatures may fall in to the upper 30s in some places. That said, the colder air coming across Lake Michigan may also generate waterspouts, so there’s plenty to talk about THIS week!

The attached photo was submitted by Bill Beatty of Muskegon. Be safe, stay warm, and get the forecast anytime by going to www.fox17online.com/weather.