Friday the 13th. At 6:45AM there is wet snow falling here in MBY the temperature is at 33 and at the current time the snow is not really staying on the ground. The storm this weekend looks to stay the SE of the Grand Rapids area and we look to be close if not in the warm sector of the system. While there is ice and snow in the forecast the temperature profile suggest that we would get much more rain than any frozen precipitation it is hard to get any frozen precipitation with temperatures in the 50’s. We shall see.
KEY MESSAGES
RAIN AND SNOW, BRIEFLY HEAVY SNOW IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN
WINDY TODAY
WINTER STORM POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
The winter storm looks to be mostly to the NW of the GR area
Detailed Forecast
Today
Snow showers, possibly mixed with rain, mainly before 4pm. High near 41. Breezy, with a south wind 21 to 25 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tonight
A 10 percent chance of snow showers before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Blustery, with a west northwest wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night
Snow showers before 5am, then snow, possibly mixed with rain, freezing rain, and sleet. Low around 31. East wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow and sleet accumulation of around 2 inches.
Sunday
Rain, freezing rain and sleet, possibly mixed with snow before 11am, then rain showers. High near 55. East wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Sunday Night
Showers. Low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Monday
Snow showers. High near 39. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Monday Night
Snow showers likely, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Blustery.
Tuesday
A chance of snow showers before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25.
Tuesday Night
A chance of snow showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.
Wednesday
A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 47.
The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 41/27 there was no rain or snow fall. The highest wind speed was 33 MPH out of the W. For today the average H/L is 43/26 the record high of 75 was in 1990 the coldest high of 23 was in 1993 the record low of 3 was in 2014 the warmest low of 60 was in 1990 the most rainfall of 1.06” was in 2006 the most snowfall of 3.6” was in 1998 the most snow on the ground was 11” in 2014 and 1978. The sunrise today is at 7:27 AM and the sunset time is at 7:46 PM.
Some weather history for March 13th 1951, The state of Iowa experienced a record snowstorm. The storm buried Iowa City under 27 inches of snow. (David Ludlum) 1990, Thunderstorms produced severe weather from northwest Texas to Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska during the day, and into the night. Severe thunderstorms spawned 59 tornadoes, including twenty-six strong or violent tornadoes, and there were about two hundred reports of large hail or damaging winds. There were forty-eight tornadoes in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, and some of the tornadoes in those three states were the strongest of record for so early in the season, and for so far northwest in the United States. The most powerful tornado of the day was one which tore through the central Kansas community of Hesston. The tornado killed two persons, injured sixty others, and caused 22 million dollars along its 67-mile path. The tornado had a life span of two hours. Another tornado tracked 124 miles across southeastern Nebraska injuring eight persons and causing more than five million dollars damage.