GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As a couple of quiet days of weather return to West Michigan, it allows the collective focus of forecasters to turn toward a significant storm system that will affect much of the Midwest over the busy pre-Christmas travel weekend.
A few breaks in the clouds are possible as some milder and drier air moves into the Great Lakes during the day Wednesday. Temperatures will hold in the 20s to around 30° during the day, with wind chill values running about ten degrees cooler.
Temperatures will hold steady overnight, then start climbing heading into the day Thursday. Most of West Michigan will be in the mid 30s from Thursday afternoon into Friday. That means that as some wet weather returns Thursday night, there will be the potential for a mixed bag of precipitation. Areas from Grand Rapids to the north may see an inch or two of new snowfall Thursday night and Friday; but with temperatures around or above freezing, the impact of any snow will be limited.
After a dry start to Saturday, more moisture will move in from the south as a bigger storm system organizes and moves through the Ohio Valley. The exact track of the storm is still far away from being nailed down, but recent forecast trends have brought enough warm air northward that there is a possibility of rain, sleet, or freezing rain mixing in with snow around parts of the state. Precipitation may be heavy at times into much of Sunday, but the location and amount of any heavy snow is highly uncertain.
It will likely be Friday before many of the details about the weekend storm start to come into better focus. You can stay up to date on the latest forecast on the Weather page.
