WEST MICHIGAN — Some areas had a foot of snow last week. The roads and pastures were covered. It was a winter wonderland we’ve not seen much of this season. Then the mercury surged just in time for the weekend. Record highs were set on Sunday. Rain fell…it felt a bit like spring. Just three hours later, snow began to fall, and that’s been the theme of the last several weeks.
A snapshot of the surface imagery just before 9 AM shows a cold front to our northwest and a low pressure centered in western Nebraska. These two storms will have an impact on our weather today with varying degree.
The cold front today will provide a light rain/snow mix moving through late this morning and early into the afternoon. We’ll also see a fairly decent gradient between our northern and southern counties because of this.
The big picture with a snapshot of temps in the single digits below zero this morning. Varying degrees of cold air remain in the midwest, but we’ll see that type of colder air arrive for the middle portion of the week.
As the cold front moves through today, the low will develop to our southwest. Snow begins to move in from the west overnight, and that’s when heavier bands of snow will develop.
For this reason, a Winter Weather Advisory is in place from 10 PM tonight through Wednesday at 1 AM. This may change by this evening, but for now, it’s just an advisory. Heavy snowfall like we encountered last week is not expected, but this will be a snow you’ll need to shovel.
The first finger of snow spreads into the area shortly after midnight and begins to strengthen.
Just in time for the morning commute, heavier bands of snow will develop in our area, and this will cause slick spots and reduced visibility if you travel to work between 5 and 10 AM.
Intensity tapers off a little bit on the way home from work in the evening Tuesday, but there will still be some issues along the roadways at this time. Plan for a few extra minutes and to go slower on your way home.
A few flurries/snow showers will remain in place early Wednesday morning, but they’ll be confined to the lakeshore as most of this will be of the lake effect variety.
Heavier snowfall bands are reserved for areas slightly north of I-96 and very near I-94. Further north and south will see lighter amounts due to storm track and warmer air mixing in at times. These amount may change, but expect snow that you’ll need to shovel. We’ll keep you updated throughout the next 36 hours.
