Clear & Chilly, Warming Returns Soon...

Good Morning!

A chilly start to the new calendar week, but we'll see gradual warming as we kick oiff the new work week.  Dry for the next couple of days as well, then we introduce some mid-week rain.  Let's have a look:

TEMPERATURES: COLD.  Temperatures today start off well below freezing, have a look at the current temperature map:

Notice the 25-30 contour over the area.  The warm spot this morning when this post was prepared was Lansing at 28 degrees.

We'll see readings gradually climb into the upper 40's as the day progresses, my thinking is we top out somewhere between 48-50 today.  As Monday gets here, we'll add some warmth each day to the high temperature until Wednesday with mostly sunny skies, then we start to turn cloudy midweek and bring the temperatures back down.  We get back into seasonable air for the end of the week after a trough works through behind the rain on Wednesday.

RAIN:  Sunshine starts to fade late Tuesday into Wednesday, and we introduce a chance of more rain showers into the forecast for Tuesday night right through Thursday.  The couple of rain-free days will help out a lot, as it gives swollen to overflowing rivers and streams a chance to start receding back where they are supposed to be.  Grand Rapids has been hit especially hard, with several businesses along the Grand River downtown experiencing flooding in their basements.  Have a look at the rainfall forecast from the Weather Prediction Center:

7 Day Rainfall outlook from the Weather Prediction Center, we expect a half-inch to an inch in the area over the next seven days.

Tuesday afternoon we get the clouds re-forming over the area in advance of a developing surface low that should track almost directly overhead, bringing us rain showers and perhaps a thunderstorm Tuesday night into Wednesday.  We expect another half-inch to an inch of rain on the high side.  Low risk of rain after that right through the end of the week.

SEVERE WEATHER:  No severe weather risk to speak of the next three days according to the Storm Prediction Center.  Maybe a small chance of a stray garden variety storm on Wednesday, but that's it.  Again, the dry weather will help give people a chance to work through the flooding issues that all the rain has brought.

Bright sunny skies in the area at this hour on the satellite picture, and because of that, nothing to see on Grand Rapids NEXRAD.

Infrared Satellite Image

Here's the forecast for Jackson and surrounding areas including Spring Arbor and Rives Junction:

Today: Sunny, chilly, high 49.  Wind NE 5-10 MPH.

Tonight: Mainly starry with a few clouds, not quite as cold, low near 33, wind turning SE 5-10 MPH.

Monday: Continued sunny and noticeably warmer, high 59.  Wind SSE 5-10 MPH.

Monday Night: A mix of clouds and stars, lows near 42, wind SE 5-10 MPH.

Tuesday: Increasing clouds, perhaps some showers by the evening drive home, warmer still, high 64.  Wind SE turning NW 5-10 MPH.

Wednesday: Cloudy, scattered to numerous showers and perhaps a roaming thunderstorm, cooler, high only 50.

Thursday: A lingering shower gives way to clearing skies, a touch warmer, high 53.

Friday: Increasingly cloudy skies, warmer, high 60.

Saturday: Mainly cloudy skies, some scattered showers possible, high 63.

There's a look at your forecast, I do hope you have a wonderful Sunday!  Blessings.