Winter Still Doesn't Want To Go Away...

Good Afternoon!

It has been a busy couple of days off from giving you the weather but there are things going on outside of the blog that I needed to attend to.  I have a couple of them done, but I expect that I will have to take another day or two off here in the next week or so.  The good news is that I expect to have things taken care of so I can be in position to do this for you come severe weather season.  Let's take a closer peek at this gray and dreary that is outdoors right now.

SUMMARY:  A surface low up in Wisconsin coupled with a bit of an upper disturbance just to the south of us over northern Indiana and into Ohio brings us plenty of clouds and some snow.  I expect the snow to accumulate a bit here in south central Michigan, and of course the lake-effect snow machine is cranked up again, with as much as four inches possible west of US-131.  A Lake Effect Snow Advisory is actually up for Kalamazoo and points west, all the way to the lake shore.  We will stay in this pattern for the next few days, so unfortunately, winter is NOT through with us here yet.

TEMPERATURES:  No sustained warmth until the weekend.  Currently the GFS forecast model likes 38 for a high on Friday, but that is still about 10 degrees below where we should be this time of year, as the average high is right around 47.  A trough that has settled in over the area holds temperatures down with northerly flow until Friday.  In the near term, we stay within an arm's length of freezing the next three days.  The up side is mid 40's into the weekend and early next week, maybe FINALLY some seasonable weather that lasts more than a day or two!

SNOW:  I guess you kind of know where my thinking is going regarding the forecast if I didn't put the word precipitation to start this section of my blog post.  For the next several days, all I am seeing is snow or the possibility thereof.  Forecast modeling is saying that we could see some rain late tonight or pre-dawn Tuesday, but I just don't buy it.  At best I would throw in a mention of some sleet or freezing rain.  Some places in the blog should already have around an inch or a little more on the ground, and I expect to add just a bit more to that over the next day or so, perhaps half to three-quarters of an inch as you get away from the US-131 corridor.  The good news is that once we get through tonight and into tomorrow, we should see the snow chances diminish sharply, and we'll just keep the cold around.

Here's a look at the Grand Rapids NEXRAD radar:

Remember that all of this you are looking at is SNOW.

Here's the forecast for Jackson and surrounding areas including Concord and Liberty Township:

Today, cloudy, chilly, periods of light snow, perhaps an additional half-inch of accumulation until midnight, high only 31, winds turning SW 5-10 MPH.

Tonight, continued cloudy and cold, some lingering flurries, perhaps a bit of sleet or freezing rain as well, low 21, winds SW 5-10 MPH.

Tomorrow, cloudy, not much change in temperature, high 33, wind W 10-20 MPH.

I will have more info for you later this evening.  Have a wonderful rest of your day!