WEST MICHIGAN -- As I outlined in a detailed post on Sunday, temperatures will soar this week. We won't be at record levels, but look for 50s and 60s Wednesday and Thursday respectively. High pressure provided us with some beautiful sunny days Monday and Tuesday, but as that moves east and loses its grip, a strong, developing low pressure over the Central Plains will move into the Great Lakes and produce wind, rain, warmer temps, and thunderstorms. See our FutureTrack forecast model below valid for 6 A.M. Wednesday. We may have a few rain showers around in the morning.
Normal highs for this time of year are in the lower 40s, but I would expect low/mid 50s on Wednesday with clouds and few rain showers. By Thursday, winds will ramp up as the low approaches, temperatures will briefly soar into the mid/upper 60s, and a few thunderstorms are possible. Some of these storms Thursday afternoon could produce some isolated wind gusts of between 50 and 60 mph...our first potential bout with severe storms this season! The best chance in our area is locations along/south of I-96. See the severe weather outlook below from the Storm Prediction Center.
Below is another snapshot from our forecast model valid for 6 A.M. Thursday, where another round of showers and thunderstorms may be coming through.
The final snapshot below is from 6 P.M. Thursday and shows the location of the storm center (or low pressure). As mentioned, this strong system will produce wind, rain, warmth, and a few thunderstorms. It will be a snowmaker, but not for Michigan. The snow will be behind the system in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains with the colder air. Since we're on the front side of the low, we'll get southerly/southwesterly winds, much warmer air, and rain.
Temperatures will cool significantly by Friday and Saturday, so the warmth will indeed be brief. Get the complete West Michigan forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
