After what’s felt like a little break from winter in West Michigan, snow, blustery winds and bitter cold are back in the forecast.
The News Channel 3 team of meteorologists has declared a Weather Alert Day for Monday, Dec. 29, due to the impacts of expected heavy snow and intense wind gusts.
Don’t be fooled: wintry and windy weather will follow an unseasonably mild Sunday, complete with periods of heavy rain and even some possible thunder. Temperatures are expected to drop rapidly late Sunday night.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Winter Storm Watch and High Wind Watch for parts of West Michigan from late Sunday night through Monday evening.
The Winter Storm Watch included the following counties in West Michigan: Kalamazoo, Van Buren, Allegan, Barry, Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon.
A Winter Storm Watch was issued for Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. Heavy snow and strong wind gusts were expected to create treacherous travel conditions. (WWMT)
Heavy snow accumulations between 4″ and 7″ are possible within the watch area, along with wind gusts as high as 55 mph. Accumulation won’t be quite as significant farther inland, likely around 1″ to 3″.
Roads were expected to become slick and hazardous by early Monday, and visibilities may drop below one-quarter mile. The NWS cautioned whiteout conditions were are also possible at times.
A first look at out expected snowfall from late Sunday through late Monday. In lakeshore counties, as well as those closer to US-131, 4″ to 7″ is generally expected. Farther away from Lake Michigan, a broad 1″ to 3″ will still cause travel impacts. (WWMT)
All of West Michigan will have to contend with intense wind gusts, especially Monday morning through early afternoon.
A High Wind Watch included counties outside of the Winter Storm Watch to highlight the threat of westerly wind gusts up to 55 mph. Counties along the Indiana border were also under a Wind Advisory for the same timeframe for lightly less significant gusts.
For counties not included in the Winter Storm Watch, a High Wind Watch and Wind Advisory was issued. Gusts up to 50-55 mph may cause numerous power outages. (WWMT)
High winds can blow down trees and power lines, and numerous outages are possible. Travel can also be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
This sort of wind in conjunction with lake effect snow can cause quite a bit of bowing and drifting, making travel especially difficult.
Colder air looks to stick around in the coming week, with another round of snow possible New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day.
