WEST MICHIGAN — An extremely cold air mass by the standards of early May is to bring well below normal temperatures to West Michigan over the next several days. The chilliest period appears to be tonight into early Saturday morning when the air mass is to be its coldest, winds are to be fairly light, and skies to be mostly clear. A Freeze Watch has been posted for 11 P.M. Friday until 9 A.M. Saturday.
The mercury is expected to dip into the middle to upper 20s for many locations within the viewing area. Immediate lakeshore communities will likely only drop into the lower 30s. To quote the National Weather Service, "Freezing conditions will kill sensitive vegetation. Fruit trees that have blossoms will experience significant and widespread damage in the middle 20s. Some varieties in the pre-bloom stage may also experience some damage."
Assuming overnight lows bottom out at the predicted levels of say 28 degrees or so in Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, these, however, would NOT be records. The record overnight low temperatures for May 9th in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek are as follows: 23 degrees in Grand Rapids in 1947, 24 degrees in Kalamazoo in 1947, and 24 degrees in Battle Creek in 1947. Even though we will likely not break any of these records, we certainly do not see this type of cold air in May every year, that is for sure! The overnights look quite chilly into early next week as well.
Check out the real estate that Freeze Warnings and Frost Advisories take up across the eastern United States. The Freeze Warnings for tonight extend as far south as northern Georgia!
