MICHIGAN, USA — System snow, lake effect snow, and frigid temperatures — West Michigan has seen its fair share of Old Man Winter over the past week and a half. Heading into the weekend, there’s one last push of noteworthy winter weather – for now – before a pattern change arrives next week.
TEMPERATURES
No surprise, January is the time West Michigan contends with its coldest temperatures – average highs in the lower 30s, average lows in the upper 10s. While not unusual, temperatures over the past week have been 10 to 20° below average during the coldest time of the year.
Temperatures bottom out Friday night as lows fall near to several degrees below 0°F, especially away from Lake Michigan if skies partially clear. Lighter winds – on the order of 5 to 10 mph, with gusts upwards of 20 mph – will keep the ‘Feels Like’ temperature in check, but still expected to approach -10°F.
High temperatures both Saturday and Sunday will reach the lower 20s before climbing into the 30s all next week. There remains the possibility of warmest locations cracking 40°F next Wednesday and Thursday.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW
Ingredients remain favorable for lake effect snow into the weekend but will be location dependent.
Throughout Friday, the most intense lake effect snow will impact far southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana, missing most of West Michigan. This is due to a more northerly flow across the Great Lakes, allowing a north-south oriented band stretching over Lake Michigan. Traveling along I-94 between Benton Harbor and Gary, Indiana will be treacherous with intense lake effect snow bands.
Winds will shift to the northwest overnight Friday into Saturday, allowing lake effect to make inroads into West Michigan. The typical northwest snow belts are expected to be impacted:
- Mason, Oceana, and western Newaygo counties. Impacts will be greatest from Ludington to Fremont, back to the lakeshore.
- Allegan, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo counties. More specifically, an area from Saugatuck - Allegan - Kalamazoo back to the lakeshore has the greatest opportunity for heavier lake effect snow.
In these snow belts, 4”+ of fresh lake effect snow is expected overnight Friday into Saturday. In the heaviest bands, 6”+ will be possible.
Lake effect snow will come to an end Sunday as winds shift to the south and milder air begins to work into the Great Lakes.
NEXT WEEK
The pattern changes next week as a more typical El Nino set up returns to the Great Lakes region. A mild airmass – for January standards – will take hold the entirety of the week.
An opportunity for a wintry mix remains Monday night into Tuesday but no major systems are on the horizon throughout next week.
6-10 Day Outlook
Wed. Jan. 24 through Sun. Jan. 28 calls for above average temperatures and above average precipitation. Average highs are around 30-31° with an average precipitation of 0.38" and average snow of 3.5".
8-14 Day Outlook
Fri. Jan. 26 through Thu. Feb. 1 calls for above average temperatures and near average precipitation. Average highs are around 31° with an average precipitation of 0.50" and average snow of 5.0".
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