Another WEATHER READY ALERT is in place for tonight, January 21, and Thursday, January 22, for accumulating snow, poor road conditions, and low visibility from blowing snow. Thursday night through the weekend snow takes a back seat to the dangerous cold and wind chills that will stay between -15 and -25 for an extended time (above).
Some spots along the lakeshore received 7-11" of snow last night into this morning, and another 3-6" is ahead. The Winter Weather Advisory starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday and goes through 7 p.m. Thursday.
This will come in several waves: this evening and overnight, mid-day Thursday, and Thursday evening.
Scattered snow showers will continue this evening.
Heavier, more widespread snow moves in overnight along a cold front, with road conditions worsening.
A brief break for most happens through the mid-morning, but gusty winds will create low visibility and blowing snow.
By late evening, a second cold front will reinvigorate snow showers.
Accumulation will be lighter with this round since the air will be significantly colder, but that means low visibility and blowing snow are more likely as the flakes are more easily blown around.
Once this front moves through, temperatures fall dramatically as air from the North Pole slides in. At the same time, winds will pick up, leading to dangerously cold wind chills. The combination of near-record cold and wind has led to the Extreme Cold Watch (top of page) from Thursday night through Saturday .
Waking up Friday morning, wind chills will be in the -15 to -30 range for all of West Michigan. Frostbite can happen in less than 30 minutes at these wind chills, so limit time outside and cover all exposed skin. Pets and outdoor animals need a safe, warm place during this time as well.
It doesn't get much better Friday afternoon, with wind chills remaining around -10 to -15.
Friday's actual morning low will be around -2, with highs around 9. The worst of the cold arrives Saturday morning with ACTUAL temperatures around -5 to -10, which is close to record breaking cold. Wind chills will also be -15 to -25, similar to Friday morning. Highs Saturday afternoon top out in the single digits, with wind chills around -5.
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
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