Weather

Actions

Strong winds, dangerous driving conditions expected today

Posted at 9:34 AM, Feb 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-24 09:34:04-05

WEST MICHIGAN- Very windy conditions area already picking up as expected, and this is only the beginning in terms of wind for the duration of Sunday.

West Michigan is under two main types of warnings: high wind and a blizzard.  Does this mean we're getting snow in one area and not the other?  Let me differentiate between the two.

It's been well documented that it's going to be very windy today, area wide.  Winds and gusts are going to be in excess of 60 mph during much of the day today!

We're expecting a bit more snow as well in the areas noted in a blizzard warning, but that's not the reason for the warning necessarily.  Most areas inland will get between 1-3" of lake effect snow, and that will cause many visibility issues outside.

The blizzard warning falls under several criteria which must be met.  Blizzards are deemed as such because of blowing snow and loss of visibility for a sustained amount of time.  Where the snow is a bit heavier to the north, we'll deal with nearly impossible driving conditions.

Our main concerns lie from wind gusts that will be between 55-70 mph during a 6-12 hour duration.  This is our primary concern.  While 1-2" of snow won't cause a lot of problems for people on the roads (we can deal with snow, we're from Michigan,) the loss of visibility will be a huge problem for travelers.  Wind doesn't die down until the overnight hours, so expect conditions will improve slowly before sunrise.