WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES are issued for most of West Michigan into Thursday morning for widespread light freezing rain approaching the area.
A quick moving low pressure system lifting into Michigan from the south and west Wednesday evening will draw in plenty moisture and energy. Combining with temperatures close to freezing in our area, this will produce light snow in the evening transitioning to freezing rain Wednesday night, exiting Thursday morning.
By midnight, the freezing rain is expected to be falling across most of West Michigan. Light snow may also precede the freezing rain, with little to no accumulation expected.
The next image below is valid for 6 A.M. Thursday. Most of the wintry mix and freezing rain should be lifting out of the area by daybreak Thursday, but we expect slippery conditions from the light freezing rain that will fall overnight.
This system will pull away from Michigan by mid-morning Thursday, and as temperatures rise into the upper 30s much of the ice should start to melt.
The icing amounts will be highest near and south of the I-94 corridor with up to .10" possible, but the latest trends have it more likely .05" to .10". Further north along the I-96 corridor, only a light icy glaze is likely. It will turn windy behind this system on Thursday as well. Winds may gust to 40/50 mph from the west, so hopefully the ice will melt off tree limbs and power lines before winds ramp up, mitigating or minimizing and widespread power outages.
The worst time for driving will be tonight into the Thursday morning commute.
Make sure to stay up on later forecasts, our FOX 17 team of Meteorologists will be tracking things all week.
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
