It's the first day of Daylight Saving time, and I'm sure that you'll be feeling the missed hour of sleep soon enough if you haven't already. I have been looking at some weather data regarding the snowstorm approaching from the northwest. Lets have a look at it...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES POSTED: These have been up for quite sometime so you probably are already aware of them, but if not, there are Winter Weather Advisories up for the following counties: Clinton, Ingham, Eaton, Calhoun, Jackson, Branch, Hillsdale. Here's the text of the advisory for you:
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT TO 8 AM EDT TUESDAY...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
* Snow will overspread the area during the early morning hours
of Monday. The snow is expected to continue into the early
morning hours of Tuesday before ending.
* Storm total snowfalls of 3 to 5 inches are expected across
the area.
IMPACTS...
* Expect hazardous travel conditons Monday into the morning
hours of Tuesday due to snow covered roads, bridges and
overpasses.
* Plan extra travel time for the Monday morning commute was the
snow should be falling across the area by then.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
* The Michigan Department of Transportation reminds motorists
to adjust speeds based on the conditions...and to take it
slow in ice and snow.
* Weather Preparedness Information is available on line at
www.ready.gov/winter
We'll see readings fall and the snow starting shortly after midnight in the area from west to east as the storm system tracks just a bit south of Michigan, keeping us on the cold northern side of the system I'm expecting a reasonably uniform 3-6" of snow with some locally higher amounts possible between now and Tuesday.
WHAT'S CAUSING ALL THIS: In a nutshell, have a look at this:
That 1015 millibar low that is forecast to be on the Missouri/Iowa border tomorrow morning and continue sharply southeast will be the culprit, with snow overspreading the area. I don't expect this to be a full on heavy duty winter storm event, but it will definitely be enough to mess with travel for the next two days. That low will slide into southern Illinois and Indiana before it fades away and gets scooped up by a low heading up the east cost to become a nor'easter. Here's the current water vapor satellite view, which already is lining up with the above FutureCast model image:
KEEPING IT IN THE DEEP FREEZE: We'll keep our temperatures cold for the next several days, with something along the lines of Friday before we'll finally start breaking some of the cold air and getting back into warmer temperatures, warmer in this case meaning getting back to our seasonal average for this time of year right around 45. We'll keep an eye on this for you and provide you with updates.
