WEST MICHIGAN — After a little Saturday early morning sunshine, we expect the clouds to thicken and windy conditions to develop through the afternoon hours. A WIND ADVISORY has been posted for Ottawa, Muskegon, and Oceana Counties from 2 P.M. Saturday through 2 A.M. Sunday. We expect the strongest winds in these locations from the south at 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 45 possible. While our inland counties are not under an advisory, winds there will be on the order of 15 to 25 mph with gusts around 40. See image below.
Take a look at our forecast model below for projected wind speeds, gusts, and direction. The first image below is valid for 6 P.M. Saturday. The larger, whiter number is the sustained wind speed. The "G" is the gust, and the arrow represents the direction from which the wind is coming. We have GALE WARNINGS on Lake Michigan and are expecting waves on the order of 6 to 9 feet this afternoon, building 8 to 12 this evening.
Our next image below is valid for 12 A.M., or midnight Sunday. Note that wind speeds are still prevalent and will likely stay up through the overnight hours into early Sunday morning.
Our winds will ramp up due to a strong and developing low pressure system moving into the Great Lakes. You can see the weather map and forecast model below valid for 6 P.M. today.
Our next image below is valid for noon on Sunday. We expect a good chance of rain showers behind the passage of a cold front with rain showers through about midday or early afternoon. In fact, there may be a few snow showers or flakes mixing in from Grand Rapids northward.
Temperatures on Sunday will be in the low 50s early, then likely slowly fall into the 40s or remain steady the remainder of the day. More rain and snow showers are possible later Monday too. We've already experienced, hail, ice pellets, graupel, and mushy/melting snowflakes along with rain showers on Friday. More wet flakes will certainly be possible over the next few days. Get the complete West Michigan forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
