A deck of low-level, gray stratus clouds will plague the weekend all the way from Saturday through Sunday. Low pressure tracking into and through the Great Lakes will generate light rain and drizzle with areas of fog possible from time to time. At least temps remain above normal in the mid/upper 40s (perhaps briefly in the low 50s on Sunday) from Grand Rapids south ahead of this system in what meteorologists refer to as the warm sector of a storm.
Normal high temps for this time of year have us in the middle 30s, so we are indeed above normal. A few light rain/snow showers may occur behind this system on Monday, but no major snow accumulations are expected. Our forecast models are showing the possibility of a big low pressure area tracking into the Great Lakes (again) on Thursday and Friday. Although the models are differing in the actual track of this low (some take it directly over Michigan, some take it south), suffice to say precipitation is a likely bet.
What’s also likely is a sharply colder airmass filtering in AFTER this low pressure system moves by on Friday next week. I would anticipate the chance of some accumulating lake-effect snow, especially for areas south/west of Grand Rapids. Winds will also crank up with this system beginning Thursday and staying strong through the first half of Friday. This appears to be the last major system affecting the Great Lakes before Christmas…although things can always change that far out. So while we may not actually see snow on Christmas, we may have some accumulations on the ground prior to! Make sure to stay tuned to later forecasts.
Get the complete West Michigan forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather. You can also check radar, satellite, and temperatures across the area at the same link. In fact, click herefor a radar loop of our area.
