GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The heart of the Arctic air will only start to loosen its grip on West Michigan late Tuesday, keeping the region in bitterly cold temperatures throughout the daytime.
Temperatures early Tuesday morning ranged from just above zero along the lakeshore to -15° near the Indiana border. With westerly winds of 15 to 25 mph, that combination was creating wind chill values between -15° and -40°.
We’ll only add a few degrees to each of those numbers by Tuesday afternoon; this means wind chill readings will remain dangerously cold throughout the day, in the range of -10° to -25°.
Lake-effect snow showers will be light, but will still add one to three inches of new accumulation to some areas west of U.S. 131 through Tuesday night. Blowing snow will continue to be a major issue as it drifts back over roads that have been cleared.
Only as winds start to let up Wednesday and air temperatures climb back above 10° will wind chills get back above zero once again. Roads that are packed with snow and ice will be difficult to clear until at least Thursday, when highs reach the 20s.
It will feel like spring when temperatures get back into the 30s to near 40° over the weekend; check out the rest of the 7 Day Forecast on the Weather page.
