WEST MICHIGAN - With fall officially arriving this evening at 9:03 P.M., it will certainly feel like it! We expect temperatures only in the upper 50s and lower 60s with the possibility of lake effect generated spotty rain showers, mainly along/west of U.S. 131. The air aloft coming across Lake Michigan will also be cold enough to generate the possibility of waterspouts.
Winds will also be a factor today driving SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES for boaters and a HIGH BEACH HAZARD risk for swimmers. We are forecasting wave heights in the area of six to nine feet. Stay off piers and jetties and stay out of the water! See our Lake Michigan forecast below.
In order to get lake effect cloud cover and showers, scientifically there must be at least a 13 degree Celsius temperature difference between the air just above the surface of Lake Michigan and the actual water temperature itself. This difference can also help induce a spinning motion over the lake, perhaps generating a few waterspouts. The effect can be enhanced if there's a front, trough, and upper level disturbance coming through the region as well.
More shower chances arrive this weekend with temperatures remaining in the 60s. Normal highs for this time of year have us in the lower 70s. Get the complete West Michigan forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
