February 9th, 2010, 12:40 pm by keith
Snow bands will continue pinwheeling into West Michigan from the south tonight, as the wrap around an intense area of low pressure that is moving from northern Illinois across northern Indiana. As of mid-afternoon, snowfall reports were in the 3 to 6 inch range, with heavier amounts along and south of I-94.
As the intense low begins moving across our bow, winds will begin to intensify late tonight. Overnight, gusts between 25 and 35 mph are possible, which will cause the snow to blow and drift. That will likely cause visibility problems on the roadways, and some rural roads perpendicular to the wind (which will be shifting to northerly) may become quite hazardous.
The snow will begin to diminish by late Wednesday morning, becoming light in the afternoon. A little lake effect snow is likely Wednesday night through Thursday, but at this time, it doesn’t look like significant.
In the meantime, the Winter Storm Warning continues for West Michigan through early Wednesday afternoon. Stay with Newschannel 3 and wwmt.com for the latest weather updates.
Posted in: Uncategorized • blowing • cold • drifting • lake effect • National Weather Service • snow • snowfall • spotter • wind • winter storm • Winter Storm Warning | Post a Comment »
February 8th, 2010, 2:13 pm by keith
After a month of quiet winter weather inWest Michigan — while points south and east have endured storm after storm — it finally looks like it’s our turn. Forecast models show an area of low pressure currently bringing snow to the northern Plains zipping just to our south, moving across northern and central Indiana and Ohio Tuesday.
The projected path of the storm puts West Michigan in the bullseye for heavy snow. And it looks like that will happen Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, when up to a foot of snow may fall in some locales. That’s why the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for all of West Michigan, effective from Tuesday morning at 7 o’clock through Wednesday afternoon at 1 o’clock. Stay with Newschannel 3 and wwmt.com for the latest updates.
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February 5th, 2010, 2:34 pm by keith
The weather forecast for Super Bowl Sunday in Miami is looking great — just what the NFL hoped for with the southern locale. Skies will be clear during the game, and the kickoff temperature will be in the 60s.
But the weather hasn’t always been so nice for Super Bowl. In fact, in the early days the game was always played outside and a few times, when the venue was Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, the temps were cold. The temperature at kickoff for Super Bowl 6, in 1973, was a chilly 39 degrees!
And then there is the rain. Super Bowl 19, in 1985, between the Miami Dolphis and the San Francisco 49ers, was played at Stanford Stadium in a rain and fog typical of the central California coast. Just three years ago, the Super Bowl in Tampa was played in periods of heavy rain. Nearly an inch of rain fell that day, making for a sloppy field, and a wet day for those who paid a lot of money for the opportunity to watch the game live.
Posted in: Uncategorized • cold • miami • rain • super bowl • weather | Post a Comment »
February 4th, 2010, 1:42 pm by keith
It looks like the next winter storm to move across the eastern half of the United States will take a southern track, sparing West Michigan much snowfall. Instead, the heavier snow will be in Indiana, Ohio and points south and east. The nation’s capital is bracing for another heavy snow — perhaps a foot or more this weekend.
On the northernmost fringe of the system, we stand to see a little light snow, moreso along and south of I-94 than north of the Interstate. Accumulations of an inch are not out of the question, particularly along the Michigan-Indiana border. Otherwise, it looks like the southern storm will bring overcast skies our way.
Behind the system, colder air sinks in from Canada. The chill will come on a northeast breeze, so the lake effect shouldn’t be an issue. Forecast models show the cold air sticking around. Next week looks to be cold, with the possibility of lake effect snow showers moving back over West Michigan by next Wednesday or so. Until then, all the action is going to be to our south.
Forecast models show another storm taking a track through the southern United States next Tuesday, with perhaps a third (in one week) moving over the same areas late next week. If that forecast holds true, expect some stories of flooding in the southern Plains and Southeast, and record setting seasonal snow totals for the mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, here in West Michigan, Old Man Winter will continue to be rather subdued.
Stay tuned to Newschannel 3 and wwmt.com for the latest weather updates! You can also follow me on Twitter: weathermankeith, and the Severe Weather Center 3 team of meteorologists are on Twitter: WWMTWeather.
Posted in: Uncategorized • flooding • forecast model • lake effect • rain • snow • storm | Post a Comment »
February 3rd, 2010, 7:13 pm by keith
With deference to Shakespeare, the question of meteorological import for West Michigan over the next 48 hours is which forecast model to choose, because the output from each of the few that are commonly used don’t agree. What the models do agree upon is that a powerful storm will generate Thursday morning over northern Mexico/southern Texas, and that by the weekend, it will be parked just off the Atlantic coast near Washington, D. C.
The track the storm will take is where the models diverge. One sends the storm center across the Southeast, bringing heavy rain before turning north up the Atlantic coast, socking the mid-Atlantic region with heavy snow over the weekend. Another model takes the strong storm a little farther north, across the Tennessee Valley, again bringing heavy snow to the mid-Atlantic region. A third model brings the storm even farther north, into the Ohio Valley, before turning it east to the nation’s Capital, again bringing heavy snow to that part of the country.
The first solution, keeping the storm in the deep south, will minimize any effects for West Michigan. The second solution means light snow for West Michigan, particularly along and south of I-94. Heavier snowfall will be over Indiana and Ohio. The third solution brings the northern edge of the system close enough to West Michigan to bring snow — perhaps enough to accumulate a few inches.
I’m taking solution number two — which splits the difference between the northern and southern solutions. The result will be some light snow across West Michigan Friday with light accumulations (no more than two inches) mainly along and south of a line from Saugatuck to Wayland to Hastings and Lansing.
But every six hours, a new set of model runs are produced, bringing more possible storm tracks. So, stay tuned! Keep up with the latest weather updates on wwmt.com and Newschannel 3. You can also follow me on Twitter: weathermankeith, and the Severe Weather Center 3 Team: WWMTWeather.
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February 2nd, 2010, 8:24 pm by keith
Forecast models show yet another storm taking aim at the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Thursday through Saturday. Meanwhile, the weather in West Michigan will continue to be tranquil — particularly for this time of year. The ongoing pattern — which can be traced back to early January — evidences the effect El Nino has on weather all around the world.
Consider: on November 5, the Climate Prediction Center noted that a moderately strong El Nino was in the works. El Nino is the name given to the unusual warming of the surface of the Pacific Ocean around the equator. The warmer water alters weather patterns all around the world, sometimes with devastating consequences.
For example, winter weather in the United States during when a moderate or strong El Nino is occuring is characterized by heavy rain in southern California, the southern Plains and the Southeast, as well as warmer than average temperatures with below average snowfall in the northern Plains and the western Great Lakes (which includes West Michigan).
Now, consider this: Texas has seen so much rain that the percentage of the state under drought conditions has shrunk from above 70 to about 5. And precipitation estimates show three inches of rain may fall on the Lone Star state by the end of the week. And the nation’s capital has already had its snowiest winter in seven years; and there may be a lot more coming this weekend — to say nothing about the rest of February.
In the meantime, after a snowy December in West Michigan, the snow machine has largely been shut down. About two feet of snow was measured across the area in December. Less than a foot has fallen since the beginning of the year (a few locales in the lake effect snow belt excepted). And looking ahead to the next five days, the quiet pattern doesn’t seem to be changing.
But as you know, the weather in West Michigan can change in a heartbeat! Stay up with the changes on wwmt.com and Newschannel 3. You can also follow me on Twitter, weathermankeith, and the Severe Weather Center 3 team, WWMTWeather.
Posted in: Uncategorized • El Nino • forecast • rain • snow • weather • winter | Post a Comment »
February 1st, 2010, 2:38 pm by keith
Welcome to February! Hard to believe January has already come and gone. Looking back at the month that was, max temps were a little warmer than average and minimum temperatures were a little colder than average. The average high temperature in January was 29.5 degrees. The climatological (30 year) average for the month is 31 degrees. Last month’s average low was 18.1 degrees, slightly above the climatological average of 17 degrees.
It looks like we’re in for a little more snow early this week. A fast-moving area of low pressure will be zipping right over West Michigan Tuesday. The result will be snow for much of the day Tuesday. The snowfall isn’t expected to be heavy, but it will likely be pretty consistent. Forecast models project about an inch or two of accumulation.
After that storm moves east (it should be out of our hair by Wednesday afternoon), the weather looks to be quiet through the weekend. We will likely see some sunshine Thursday and Friday. Colder air sinks back over the state Saturday and Sunday. On balanace, temperatures for the next seven days will be at or slightly colder than average.
Looking further ahead, the latest Climate Prediction Center forecast for next week suggests cooler than average temperatures will be around. Stay tuned!
Posted in: Uncategorized • cold. forecast • snow • storm • winter | Post a Comment »
January 27th, 2010, 6:44 pm by keith
The Arctic air mass moving over West Michigan may be the coldest we’ve had so far this season. And it isn’t going away anytime soon. Max temperatures the next couple of days will struggle to get out of the teens, and a brisk wind gusting to 25 mph will keep wind chills in the single digits during the daytime, and send them subzero at night. Keep those wind chills in mind before stepping outside, and particularly before sending the kids outside.
It is also critical to remember outdoor pets when the temps and wind chills get this cold. If possible, bring your outdoor pet inside for the next couple of days. It that isn’t possible, make sure to provide shelter from the wind, cold and snow, and keep fresh water available. Don’t forget that the water you put in the bowl in the morning may be freeze long before you come home in the afternoon. A bowl of ice does no good for an animal searching for water. Also, if your pet is going to be outside in the cold, give it a little more food. Keeping warm takes energy, so extra food will provide that energy.
Forecast models show the cold air sticking around through Saturday, then gradually warming early next week. We might warm to above freezing by next Tuesday or Wednesday, but not likely before then. If you’re waiting for warmer days, the longer range outlook should make you smile. The latest Climate Prediction Center 6 to 10 day forecast, valid for the middle to end of next week, predicts warmer than average temperatures for West Michigan. And one forecast model I checked out Wednesday projects middle to upper 40s for the first weekend in February! I don’t put too much stock in any model forecast going that far into the future, but consider this: the same model a couple of weeks ago projected 50 degrees for last Sunday. And guess what last Sunday’s high temp was? Yep.
Stay with Newschannel 3 and wwmt.com for the latest weather updates.
Posted in: Uncategorized • Arctic • cold • forecast • model • wind chill • winter | Post a Comment »
January 25th, 2010, 2:52 pm by keith
Climate Prediction Center 6 to 10 Day Forecast
Cold air is already moving back into West Michigan, and it is going to get a reinforcing shot later in the week. After three relatively quiet weeks weather wise (for January, to be sure!), it looks like conditions are about to take another wintry turn. We haven’t had any significant snowfall (>1″) since January 7, and max temperatures peaked yesterday with a high of 50 degrees.
Forecast models show max temps for the remainder of this week will likely be stuck in the 20s. A few inches of snow are possible by late tomorrow afternoon with the current storm moving through. Thursday, an Arctic air mass moves in. That will likely trigger lake effect snow showers which might drop some impressive amounts in the snow belt zone (impressive = double digit).
According to long-range forecast models, the cold air is going to stick around — not just in West Michigan, but across much of the country. The latest Climate Precition Center (CPC) 6 to 10 day forecast shows colder than average temperatures right through the middle of next week.
Posted in: Uncategorized • Arctic • Climate Prediction Center • cold • forecast • long-range forecast • weather | Post a Comment »
January 19th, 2010, 7:22 pm by keith
On this date in 1994, West Michigan woke to one of the coldest mornings on record. A surge of Arctic air moved over West Michigan five days prior. The average low temperature between January 14 and 21 was -8 degrees. That was the average!
The morning of January 19, 1994, the thermometer read an incredible -22° in Grand Rapids and -20° in Kalamazoo. That was the air temperature, not the wind chill! Wind chills were between 40 and 50 degrees below zero, dangerously cold.
Furnaces had to run constantly, trying to keep homes, businesses and workplaces warm. The energy demand put a strain on the power grid, causing some electric utilities use brownouts to keep the system from shutting down. The cold spell lasted eight days, and on six of those mornings, the morning low was below zero.
Posted in: Uncategorized • Arctic chill • below zero • brownouts • low temperatures | Post a Comment »
