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Severe weather possible Wednesday

Posted at 8:05 PM, Sep 09, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-09 20:05:44-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. has outlined much of West Michigan for a slight risk of severe weather on Wednesday. On the map, it is the area shaded yellow.

However, there are lot of things working against the severe weather potential. The main obstacle is what we call instability. Nothing destabilizes the atmosphere more quickly than sunshine. Without any sunshine Wednesday morning, even though there is an impressive wind field present, the threat of severe weather would be lower.

RPM12KM_21Z_Midwest

Another factor is the time of day. On this image from our in-house computer model, Future Track, the line of storms is moving in during the late morning. This is not an optimal time for severe weather. If the line of storms moves in later in the day, however, that could increase the risk of having severe thunderstorms.

We will continue to monitor the threat of severe weather and have updates on FOX 17 News. You can also get the forecast anytime at http://www.fox17online.com/weather