GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A Winter Weather Advisory issued for part of Michigan ahead of Saturday night’s incoming snow system has been expanded, with the National Weather Service talking about the timing of when conditions on the roads are expected to go downhill.
As MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa explained in his forecast today, all of Michigan will see a couple rounds of incoming snow between now and Tuesday. Tonight, most of the snow will land in areas of Northern Michigan, West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
The next round, Sunday night through Tuesday, is going to be marked by bitterly cold Arctic air and high wind gusts that could produce blizzard-like conditions as the incoming snow is blown around and drops visibility across roads.
9:09 P.M. SATURDAY UPDATE: Winter Storm Watch issued, Blizzard Warning possibly to follow
Some areas could see up to a foot of snow by Tuesday.
But for right now, let’s break down the Winter Weather Advisory for today. Some counties in the western Upper Peninsula are under this advisory. They are shown in purple on the map below.
The Winter Weather Advisory area has expanded in West Michigan to include Grand Rapids.Graphic provided by the National Weather Service
The expanded Winter Weather Advisory area covers a double-stack of West Michigan counties that sit along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, from Ludington down to South Haven. It also includes the cities of Muskegon, Fremont, Hart, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Jenison, Holland and Saugatuck.
The advisory lasts into Sunday morning. Anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of snow are forecast in most of those areas tonight and tomorrow. But by Monday, the second system will have come through and those snow totals will be a lot higher in some areas.
“There will be several rounds of widespread snow over the next few days,” the NWS team in Grand Rapids said. “While some light snow will occur today, a round of snow this evening and tonight and another round of snow with gusty winds Sunday night will bring more hazardous winter conditions to West Michigan. Total snow accumulations generally 4 to 8 inches, except locally 10+ along the lakeshore. Inland, most areas will see generally 2-4″ between now and Monday.”
Light snow Saturday will be followed by two rounds of heavier snow on Saturday night and then Sunday into Monday.Graphic provided by the National Weather Service
Today, light snow will continue until the system tonight steps it up a notch. That’s when the worsening road conditions are forecast to happen.
“The timing of worsening conditions will be a ‘soft start’ as there are already some light snow and lingering slick roads today, but conditions should tend to worsen this evening into the overnight,” the NWS forecast notes said today.
