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Locally heavy rainfall possible tonight

Posted at 8:19 AM, Jul 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-07 09:46:00-04

WEST MICHIGAN -- Thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall are possible tonight. A warm front currently in the central Plains will move northeastward today and reach the area around 10pm. Ahead of this front, look for showers and thunderstorms to develop. This is what Future Track HD suggests will be happening later this evening:

Future_Track_HD

Our model might be underestimating the coverage of the showers and storms at this time, so the radar could actually be busier than what you see above. The North American Model suggests over a half-inch of rainfall is possible tonight into tomorrow morning. And some of this rain could happen in a very short period of time as some of the stronger storms move through:

Future_Track_Rain_Totals

There is also a chance that some storms turn severe, with wind gusts approaching 60 mph. In fact, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has most of the area in a Marginal Risk or a Slight Risk for severe thunderstorms tonight:

SPC_Day_1

Hail approaching 1" in diameter would be a secondary threat with these storms, but that looks unlikely. Even less likely is the possibility of tornadoes, but we'll continue to watch any storms that develop.