Saturday: Here comes the Su- snow!
We begin the day with temperatures starting off in the lower 20s across Michigan, gradually climbing into the upper 20s throughout the afternoon for most of the Lower Peninsula. A few brief breaks of sunshine are possible early on, particularly for areas east of US 127, before increasing cloud cover moves in ahead of our approaching winter storm. While those pockets of sunshine may slightly delay the very first flakes in a few locations, they will not slow down the much more significant snowfall that arrives later tonight.
Our highs today:
Our lows:
The core of the storm is still on track to deliver its heaviest snowfall to southwest Michigan, where totals are expected to reach between 7 and 13 inches by the end of the day Sunday. A few isolated communities within the main deformation band may approach or slightly exceed a foot of accumulation. Winds will be variable through the day and into tonight. Gusts may reach up to 30 mph closer to the Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio border regions. Despite these gusts, most of the snow will fall steadily and vertically rather than blowing around, thanks to the relatively modest wind speeds for much of the event.
Anyone with travel plans should strongly consider completing them earlier in the day before conditions deteriorate. While we cannot advise you on whether to travel or not, we can highlight the expected timing of the most hazardous conditions. The highest snowfall rates, projected between one half inch and one and a half inches per hour, are expected to begin in the 6 to 7 pm window this evening and continue straight through the early morning hours on Sunday. This prolonged period of heavy snow will lead to rapidly snow covered roads, greatly reduced visibility, and difficult to dangerous travel conditions overnight.
Communities on the eastern side of the state may not see their snow intensify until closer to midnight as the system expands eastward. In addition to the widespread system snow, lake effect bands will begin to form and attach themselves to the broader circulation, particularly along the Lake Michigan shoreline. These bands may enhance totals for a few lakeshore areas earlier in the event and give localized regions an extra boost in accumulation.
By Sunday morning, numerous areas across southwest Michigan will be dealing with impactful snow totals. Travel disruptions are likely for a portion of the morning, and depending on how quickly road crews can get ahead of the storm, some churches may opt to cancel Sunday services. There is also the potential for a few school districts to call for closures on Monday if cleanup needs extend into the start of the school week.
Travel impacts will be most significant late Saturday night through early Sunday morning, especially in southwest Michigan, where some of the highest totals are expected. This will likely be one of the more impactful storms of the season so far for that part of the state.
