WEST MICHIGAN — After the harsh winter again this year and several blasts of Arctic air, West Michiganders have earned a great week of weather…and it comes on the heels of welcoming in the return to Daylight Saving Time. So not only will we see some great weather this week, but also some longer hours of daylight.
While sunrise now will occur after 8:00 AM, it won’t set until about 7:45 PM. The days continue to grow longer until we reach the summer solstice in June. We’re actually picking up about two minutes of daylight each day! We pick up even more after the Spring equinox on March 20…the official start to Spring.
The snapshot attached to this story is from our computer forecast model we call FutureTrack HD. It’s valid for Monday at 6:00 PM. Note the large “H” or high pressure just to our south/east. High pressure tends to force the air to sink on a regional scale and dry the atmosphere out. Sinking air is the opposite of rising air (associated with low pressure) and usually results in quiet, uneventful, dry weather. While inland locations this week will see highs range between 45 and 50 degrees, areas along/at the immediate lakeshore will be cooler with a wind coming off Lake Michigan. In fact, you can strip off about five to ten degrees at those locations! Remember Lake Michigan water temperatures are still only in the 30s.
We have only a slight chance of some light rain or snow showers arriving this weekend, but the models are having a difficult time deciding if it will materialize…so stay tuned to later forecasts. One thing is for certain…there is no Arctic air or outbreaks in our forecasts over the next several days! Season snowfall totals in Grand Rapids at this time are almost at 78 inches.
Get the complete forecast by going to www.fox17online.com/weather.
