Cooler air has come back to West Michigan after the area set several records in a short period of time Monday night.
Temperatures dropped from the low to mid 60s back into the 40s early Tuesday morning as a cold front moved through the Great Lakes. That front also brought scattered rain showers, some of which became heavy through the Tuesday morning commute for parts of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek areas in particular.
Grand Rapids set a record high for December 3rd Monday evening when the temperature reached 65°, breaking the old record of 64° set in 1998. The December 4th record of 63° (from 1941) also fell soon after, as it was still 65° at 1:02 A.M. Tuesday morning. That is when temperatures started dropping, and Grand Rapids was back to 48° by 9:00 A.M.
Muskegon, meanwhile, set not only a record for December 3rd, but 66° was the warmest temperature ever recorded there in the month of December. Muskegon was already dropping back into the 50s by midnight and into the 40s by 5:00 A.M.
The Tuesday forecast will feature some clearing as dry air moves into the region; temperatures may manage to rebound to near 50° again in the afternoon, still well above averages that sit in the upper 30s. Dry weather and mainly clear skies should hold even as a second cold front moves through tonight, with highs only reaching the upper 30s to near 40° on Wednesday.
Mild temperatures will generally hold around the region into the weekend and early next week.
You can check out the rest of the forecast on the Weather page.
Photo: A boat on the Grand Haven channel at sunset, December 2, 2012 – Bill Beatty
