GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two bursts of heavy, lake-enhanced snowfall will result in significant accumulations around much of West Michigan through Wednesday. Very cold and windy conditions will accompany the snow.
An upper-level disturbance will create an enhanced band of snow that is expected to develop by midday Tuesday, with the heaviest accumulations west and northwest of Grand Rapids. Two to five inches of snow will be possible in spots through this evening in the heaviest bands, with an inch or two still likely to the southeast of Grand Rapids. In addition, winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour will cause visibility in the heavier snow bands to drop to near zero at times in the afternoon. Temperatures only in the low 20s will keep roads icy in many spots as the snow continues to fall.
Winds will shift and bands of snow will spread inland again through the afternoon and evening; however, the snow will become lighter through most of Tuesday night.
Another disturbance will slide just to our south early in the day Wednesday. That will generate a second heavy burst of snow that will take hold through the first half of the day. Another set of two to five inch totals will be likely, but this time mainly southwest of Grand Rapids in the more traditional lake-effect snowbelt areas of Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties. Where the two bursts of snow overlap near the lakeshore, total snowfall over the two-day period may easily run in excess of six inches.
Very cold air will linger into the weekend, with more snow redeveloping from a storm system moving through on Saturday. More on that can be found in the 7 Day Forecast on the Weather page.
