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High wind tonight, ice possible tomorrow night

Posted at 9:46 AM, Jan 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-10 11:18:02-05

WEST MICHIGAN-  Our several day period of messy weather continues with not much of an end in sight.  As the same system that has brought us rain, snow, and a wintry mix of precipitation lifts to the northeast, it will continue to have an influence on us tonight.

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The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch that goes into effect this evening and carries into early tomorrow morning.

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Sustained winds could reach the 30-35 mph threshold with winds gusting up to 55 mph this evening!  It's likely that we'll see power outages overnight as a result.

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Our next timeframe of concern falls Wednesday night.  With temperatures so close to freezing here on Future Track, it seems like there would be no issue.  Just a cold rain, right?  I believe that freezing line will creep further south into the night Wednesday and carry into early Thursday.  This will create areas of freezing rain as a result of the setup and clash of two different air masses present.

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As a reminder, freezing rain looks like normal rain as it falls, but the surface temperature is at the freezing mark or below.  A warm layer of air melts the snow that falls above the surface, and the rain refreezes as it hits the cold surface.

12-22-13 Icy road Bedford Township – Andrew Colver

Icy road Bedford Township - Andrew Colver

This is a common sight when we have a freezing rain event.  Downed trees and very icy roadways are certainly possible late Wednesday night after sunset and carrying into the early morning hours of Thursday.  Download the FOX 17 Weather App to stay up to date on the latest watches/warnings as they become available.