WEST MICHIGAN — WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES have been posted for all of West Michigan through Tuesday morning as a low pressure system tracking across Indiana generates about 2″ to 4″ of snow across our area. That said, plenty more snow is likely across the Chicago metro area, the Milwaukee metro area, and the Northeast United States. Why?
It’s what I refer to a “reverse lake effect”. Instead of a northwest or westerly wind giving West Michigan lake effect snow, an opposite wind from the east and northeast will deliver heavy lake effect snow on the opposite side of the lake. In this case, both Milwaukee and Chicago have LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNINGS due to heavy lake effect snow through Tuesday. While the bands of snow will be relatively narrow, some areas may see about 8″ to 12″. See warning/advisory graphic below.
The system that passes to our south will actually merge with another low moving up the East Coast. This system will become a Nor’easter (click here for definition) and deliver a foot or more of snow across portions of the Northeast United States. A BLIZZARD WARNING has already been posted for New York city with strong winds and heavy snow likely. More than a thousand flights have already been canceled. The thumbnail attached to this story shows the location and intensity of the low at 6 PM on Tuesday. The scope of this system is huge with WINTER STORM WARNINGS posted across several states. See below.
This week looks to be a rather cool pattern for West Michigan despite the fact that spring arrives next Monday. Get the complete West Michigan forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
