WEST MICHIGAN — A potent low-pressure center that is taking shape in the upper Midwest will impact many parts of the United States this Holiday season including West Michigan.
The system will funnel, warm and moist air into West Michigan Tuesday as winds ahead of the system gust out of the south. This will allow light rain showers to move through. The mild temperatures will also cause problems in the way of fog, which could become patchy and dense in some areas.
Heavier rain moves back into the Great Lakes Wednesday morning as the system moves into Michigan. This northwesterly movement over Michigan will drag a cold front through dropping temperatures and transitioning any rain showers over to snow showers. This transition should take place in late afternoon and early evening but will depend on how quickly temperatures fall.
Once the transition is made to snow showers, a quick couple of inches will fall directly behind the front, followed by light snow showers for a few hours before moisture moves east. Snow will eventually taper off through the evening with just a few snow flurries left over for Christmas morning.
Snow totals will vary greatly with this system depending highly on the track of the storm through the Great Lakes and how quickly rain changes over to snow. Areas along and west of US-131 will likely see totals of between 2 to 4 inches of snow, and areas east of US-131 will likely see between 1 to 2 inches of snow. Some locations north and west of Grand Rapids may see some isolated higher accumulations.
Snow on Christmas Eve will NOT be a large event, but will impact some travelers as snow could be heavy at times. Winds will also be gusty but should not pose many issues at all.
The forecast may shift slightly over the next 36 hours so stay tuned to FOX17 for all updates.
