Remember just last week when we were loving our warm temperatures and gentle breezes? In our Michigan hearts, we all knew it was just Fake Spring. We knew it wouldn’t last. And we were right.
A day after Tuesday’s Spring Equinox, we have the proof falling to the ground. Snow is accumulating in spots across Michigan today - with a much heavier, several-inch snowfall expected for Thursday night into Friday.
The National Weather Service meteorologists in Grand Rapids got right to the point in their forecast early today:
“Spring is dead ... for now. An arctic cold front comes through today with snow flurries and falling temperatures. A hard freeze will follow tonight. You don’t even want to know about what happens Thursday night. #WinterPayBackTour24.”
Forecast for Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Image provided by the National Weather Service.NWS
We’ll see scattered flurries throughout much of the day today in West Michigan. High temperatures could reach 35 degrees, but northwest winds gusting to 30 mph will make it feel colder.
On the southeast side of the state, the NWS is urging cautious travel during the morning commute. Snow bands could be heavy at times, and winds up to 20 mph could blow the snow around and reduce visibility for drivers. By mid-morning, an inch of snow could fall across areas including Flint, Ann Arbor and Detroit.
In Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula, anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of mostly lake-effect snow is expected to fall through this evening. “Webcams are already showing reduced visibility and snow packed roads,” the NWS team in Gaylord said this morning. “Use caution if traveling. Breezy winds today will result in cold wind chills as well, with values near 0 at times.”
In the central and western Upper Peninsula, lighter snow of just an inch or two is on tap.
What’s ahead?
Specifics of the Thursday night - Friday snow are still coming together. Given the ground temperatures, it’s still unclear how much accumulation would stick around on roadways instead of melting. And there’s a chance precipitation in southern Michigan could fall as a “wintry mix” that has rain mixing in with the snow.
But it looks like some of you still may need that shovel or even your snowblower.
The current storm forecast calls for up to 6 to 9 inches of snow across the central and northern parts of Michigan. Areas in the southern tier of the state could see closer to 1 to 3 inches of snow. We’ll have more details later today.
“Surface temps are cold enough Thursday night for snow to accumulate on roads and impact travel for the Friday morning commute,” according to the NWS forecast notes.