Lake Effect Mischief...

Good Afternoon!

Snow continues to fall here in South Central Michigan as the lake-effect holds together to drop some snow on us.  There is a Lake Effect Snow Advisory out for Branch, Hillsdale, Calhoun, Eaton, and Jackson counties.  The Branch and Hillsdale advisory expires at 5 PM tomorrow evening.  The other counties will see theirs expire at 5 AM tomorrow morning.  Lets have a look and see what we have going on here.

SUMMARY:  You can't really ask for lake effect snow that is better painted in a picture than this.  Have a look at this visible satellite image:

You can clearly see the banding persisting across pretty much the whole state, and this is what will keep us snowy in fits and starts through tomorrow.

Bitterly cold Arctic air is moving across the relatively warmer water over Lake Michigan, kicking off lake effect snow.  Strong winds aloft are pushing those bands well inland.  We have already picked up about 2" of snow through 2 PM, and we should see an additional 1-3" between now and tomorrow morning.  Here's a look at the Detroit NEXRAD radar:

Detroit NEXRAD Radar

What you see here you'd also see both on the Grand Rapids and Gaylord radars - bands of snow varying in intensity.

This is a two pronged deal we are working through right now, because we add dangerous cold to the mix, with wind chills as much as -20 tonight on strong west and northwest winds.  Take a look at this graphic, which is the NAM forecast model.  If this one has a good grab on the situation, we will be looking at temperatures below 0F.  If you notice the black off to the north and west, that is temperatures reading off the chart cold!  I fully expect us to see wind chills down near -20 tonight.

NAM Forecast Model, 1 AM EST Temperatures

Here's a quick forecast for you in and around Jackson:

I expect to have a more in-depth update this evening!  Have a great rest of your day...