WEST MICHIGAN — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for much of the FOX 17 viewing area for tomorrow and Christmas Day.
The start times for the advisory vary by county, but the advisory expires at 7 PM on Christmas Day for all areas. For Kent and Ottawa counties northward, the start time is at 7 PM on Christmas Eve:
For Allegan and Barry counties southward, this advisory starts at 7 AM on Christmas Eve:
In addition, a Winter Storm Warning takes effect at 7 AM tomorrow morning for Berrien County through 7 PM on Christmas Day.
A trough of low pressure will initially bring snow to areas along and south of I-96 starting tomorrow morning and going into the afternoon:
Once this trough moves out, colder air will continue to move across Lake Michigan, creating lake effect snow for the night time hours and into Christmas Day:
In all, our North American model shows roughly two to four inches of snow across the advisory area:
This forecast may be a bit conservative, however, as some sections of Van Buren, Kalamazoo and Allegan counties could see snowfall totals in the 5 to 7 inch range by Monday night. Even higher totals — in excess of 8 inches — are possible in isolated areas, and in Berrien County where that Winter Storm Warning will be in effect.
Stay tuned to FOX 17 for further updates throughout the evening.
