There have been a lot of changes and additions to the warnings and advisories across Michigan.
The National Weather Service(NWS) offices across Michigan usually issue a significant forecast update around 4 p.m. each day. Today, the NWS offices have added blizzard warnings in the Upper Peninsula and turned the winter storm watches into winter storm warnings over a big part of western Lower Michigan. The upgrade from a winter storm watch to a winter storm warning means the dangerous winter conditions are more likely to occur.
We also now have winter weather advisories for part of central and south-central Lower Michigan.
Finally, wind will be strong, especially along the Lake Michigan shoreline. A high wind warning has been issued there, and a wind advisory for the rest of southeast and east-central Lower Michigan.
Here’s the new warnings and advisories map. Let’s just take it one type of warning at a time.
Warnings and advisories for Michigan as of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 25.NOAA
The blizzard warning goes into effect Wednesday morning and continues to Thanksgiving evening for the Lake Superior counties of the western U.P. Snow amounts up to 22 inches and 55 mph gusts could make travel very difficult to impossible until sunrise Friday.
The rest of the U.P. and most of the western half of Lower Michigan now has a winter storm warning from midday Wednesday to Thanksgiving morning. I do expect the winter storm warning will actually be extended to sunrise Friday. The winter storm warning now covers the entire Traverse City area north to Gaylord and south to Big Rapids. There is also a winter storm warning for the Kalamazoo area. The winter storm warning area could have a total of six inches to 10 inches of snow and winds gusting up to 45 mph.
The purple shaded counties have a winter weather advisory for two to five inches of snow and the same strong gusts to 45 mph.
A high wind warning is covering over the winter storm warning along the Lake Michigan shoreline counties from Benton Harbor northward to Ludington. Along with the heavy snow, the high wind warning area could have gusts to 55 mph. That strong of a wind gust will create extreme blowing and drifting.
Finally southeast Lower Michigan, including Ann Arbor and Detroit, north to the Saginaw/Bay City/Midland area, the Thumb and the Sunrise Side have a wind advisory for gusts up to 45 mph. There will be occasional spurts of snow in these eastern regions of Michigan, but not enough to warrant a winter weather advisory.
By late Wednesday afternoon, we will all be into our most severe part of the storm. The conditions will continue through most of Thanksgiving.
My advice- travel tonight still if you can, or leave very early tomorrow. We will still have temperatures above freezing very early on Wednesday. Once the temperature drops at your location Wednesday, you are in for full-blown Michigan winter weather.
Stay safe, get to your destination now or early tomorrow and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Stay updated with continuous updates at MLive.com/weather.
