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Snow could impact parts of West Michigan Thursday evening

Posted at 4:36 PM, Dec 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-20 17:21:16-05

WEST MICHIGAN -- Although quiet weather is expected through Thursday morning for the entire FOX 17 viewing area, we're keeping an eye on a weather system that could bring snow to parts of the area Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.

This system is an area of low pressure that is situated over Wyoming as of this writing:

Snow extends well to the east of the center of this low, and we'll see that snow move further east and into parts of Michigan tomorrow. This is how Future Track HD sees things tomorrow afternoon:

This snow will continue through Thursday evening and into the early morning hours of Friday. Our RPM forecast model shows the more significant totals north of I-96, but some light snow could fall in Grand Rapids and vicinity as well:

Here's a look at how much snow the North American Model (NAM) suggests will fall:

Finally, here is a look at the European Model:

So these three models all have somewhat varying amounts of snow falling over the area, but the trend clearly shows the most impactful snow will fall north of I-96 with a general one to two inches of snow possible. Only trace amounts are expected further south.

This same area of low pressure will continue to advance toward the area on Friday morning. It should be somewhere over eastern Illinois at that time:

Warmer air will continue to flow over that warm front, creating a mixture of snow, light rain, and possibly some freezing drizzle over the area on Friday. However, the precipitation looks widely scattered. For example, here is a look at Future Track HD on Friday morning:

As that low moves into the Northeast U.S. and southeast Canada on Saturday, colder air will move back into the area for the weekend and through Christmas. This will give us opportunities for lake effect snow, along with some area-wide snow due to the influence of disturbances moving through the area. This should give most of West Michigan a White Christmas.