WEST MICHIGAN- It seems like a story I’ve written before (because I have, in some regards.) We deal with several days of wintry precipitation and then we follow it up with a day or two of warmer weather, and much of that fresh snow or ice melts. Guess what? This will be a similar deal, but this time, with a bit more significance.
Courtesy: NOAA
We’re in the peak of winter at the moment, meaning this next week is supposed to be the coldest of the year, climatologically speaking. The first day of winter was actually December 21st, as you’ll recall, but with the “lag of the seasons,” it takes much longer for us to really feel the effects of shorter days.
This next week to ten days will be far from the coldest time of the year as our jet stream stretches much further north than normal. This normally serves as the conveyor belt for different storm systems to move from west to east and bring different air masses and weather systems to our area. With this so far north, we’ll enjoy a fairly tranquil period with much warmer conditions than normal that stretch as far as southern Canada!
Saturday, our warmest day, projected highs in the 50s are likely in many locations!
This won’t last forever, as you know, but it will carry us into the early part of February when our normal highs begin to go up. Averages into February start in the lower 30s. This won’t be the end of arctic air for us this year by any means, but it does signal a nice change of pace for fans of the warmer weather.
