WEST MICHIGAN- Depending on where you live, you've either been seeing a lot of snow, or just about nothing at all! This is a classic lake effect snow setup, and that's been illustrated by the bands of snow this morning.
A snapshot of the radar imagery just after 10:30 perfectly illustrates what has been going on since the wee hours of the morning. A band of fairly heavy snowfall has stretched from U.S. 31 to I-196, all the way down M-40 as well. This has been the case for a great part of the morning, and this will remain virtually unchanged this afternoon. Northwest winds have made this the bullseye for the highest snow totals so far.
To give you an example of one of the areas that have really varied in snowfall total. Eastern Kalamazoo County has seen virtually nothing in comparison to the northwest and western portions of the county, with some areas near 10"!
Another area that was really well defined was near Holland. It's been snowing all morning long, but once you get to Zeeland, it's been next to nothing.
This is the reason for the vast difference in warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service. The northwest wind has isolated Oceana, Ottawa, Allegan, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo counties as a bullseye for the heaviest snowfall, therefore keeping them in the Winter Storm Warning until Thursday at 10 AM. Winter Weather Advisories remain in place for spots like Muskegon and Barrien counties where less snow will fall, but warrants enough to warn drivers of potential dangers on the roadways.
These scattered snow bands will continue. Heaviest snow will continue in the same areas, with scattered snow showers inland. Totals drastically change as you move across US-131.
There will be a few snow showers and flurries tomorrow morning as well, but it will continue to taper off by mid day Thursday.
One thing everyone will need to worry about today in addition to snow, is the wind chill. It's going to be very cold today, as you'll need to add that extra layer. Single digits above zero will be what it feels like this evening into tomorrow morning.
A handful of snow totals so far have been very impressive and widely scattered. Alamo and Oshtemo have been the big winners just slightly before noon. More snow will continue to fall throughout today as well. Expect some of these areas to push a foot before it's all said and done!
By tomorrow, that strip of heavy snow stretches from Holland into the NW portion of Kalamazoo County. Most areas will see an inch or less by the time this event is over, but travel will be dangerous as you go from areas with no snow to 8 inches in hurry. We'll update this article with snow totals and changes to the forecast for today. Bundle up and send your pics to the FOX 17 Facebook Page in the mean time.
