WEST MICHIGAN — Our first snowflakes of the season are moving into West Michigan tonight into Sunday! While this system is producing widespread mixed precipitation, heavier snow will arrive in parts of West Michigan as colder air makes the transition into a Lake Effect snow event for parts of southwest lower Michigan. A WINTER STORM WATCH will go into effect for Cass and Berrien Counties around the foot of Lake Michigan for Sunday afternoon through Monday evening, as some locally heavy Lake Effect Snow is likely as sharply colder air arrives.
Significantly colder air will march into the Great Lakes Saturday night, Sunday and Monday. That will set the stage for some snow mixing in with rain and then changing to all snow Saturday night into Sunday.
If you have plans to be on the roads later Saturday into Sunday, be prepared for some slippery travel conditions.
The image below is valid for Saturday evening at 6 P.M. Moisture from a low pressure system moving across Lake Michigan will produce a few late evening rain and/or snow showers. As the moisture continues to stream into the state and temperatures begin to drop off, we are likely to see snow mixing in with the rain.
Sunday morning (6 A.M. below), shows colder air mixing in and snow likely. Highs on Sunday will only be in the 30s. We think 1" to 3" (perhaps 2" to 4") will be possible, especially south of Grand Rapids along the I-94 corridor with the current track of this system.
Here is a look at the Snow Futurecast through Tuesday evening, projecting the first impactful Lake Effect Snow event of the season on the backside of this system.
The heaviest snow is likely to fall across extreme southwest Allegan, western Van Buren, Cass and Berrien Counties. A WINTER STORM WATCH is set to go into effect Sunday afternoon through Monday evening for Berrien County through the foot of Lake Michigan.
The "average" first snow accumulating 0.1" is November 8, so flakes flying this weekend would be right on track with where we should be. Everyone should also be prepared for breezy conditions this weekend and wind chills in the upper teens and lower 20s. There will be a "winter" chill to the air, although it will be brief. we expect to warm next week back into the mid/upper 40s. (50-degree weather is likely by next weekend!)
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
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