GRAND RAPIDS — The Great Lakes, and Michigan specifically, are squarely in a SLIGHT RISK for severe weather the evening of Friday, April 18.
A 2 out of 5 represents the highest likelihood for severe storms within this event, but still lacking some variables to have high confidence in the event development.
For this wave of storms, the variable that may limit storms strength, or development as a whole, is what's known as the 'cap'.
A 'cap' on the atmosphere represents a layer of relatively warmer air aloft, usually several thousand feet in the air, that warms air molecules and stops them from rising to produce more storms.
What we need for storms to develop, is for our air mass to steadily cool from the surface to the top of the atmosphere, any warming in the mid levels, and its a lid on storm development.
It's important to know this is just ONE variable of so many in our atmosphere, and just because there isn't a cap, doesn't mean something else can't affect storm development.
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
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Risk for severe weather today has increased in Lakeshore counties
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