Winter Returns with a Vengeance!
A big but short-lived pattern change is on the way starting tomorrow across the region! A strong arctic cold front will move in tomorrow evening with an arctic airmass right behind it. This system will bring renewed chances for lake effect snow across the Great Lakes region. Heavy lake effect snow squalls are expected along Lake Michigan and across the UP off Lake Superior.
Snow isn't the only story with this system! A very cold arctic air mass will start to move in Wednesday evening. Let's time it all out!
By 1:00pm tomorrow, lake effect snow will be ongoing across the snowbelts. The air temperatures will start to drop rapidly across the Western UP. Temperatures will go from the mid-20s to the single digits! Winds will start to pick up during this time as well! Gusting to 30-40mph!
The arctic front will start to move across Lake Michigan, & temperatures will start to drop rapidly after 6:00pm across Western lower. Lake effect snow will increase in intensity during this time frame. Some thundersnow is even possible for a few hours tomorrow evening. We do not expect a severe snow squall like we had last week. However, periods of intense lake effect snow squalls are possible with snowfall rates that exceed 2" per hour.
Another factor that comes into play tomorrow evening is the winds associated with and behind this cold front. Winds will be sustained at 15-25mph with gusts to 40mph possible along Lake Michigan and for the southern half of the LP. This will cause blowing snow and white-out conditions at times.
By midnight, the cold front will be advancing across Eastern Michigan. Temperatures will start to rapidly drop from the 20s to the teens and eventually single digits by morning. At this time, winds will be gusty with sustained winds at 15-25mph mph with gusts to 35-40mph across much of the state. The only exception is NE Michigan, where lighter winds are expected. Sustained winds of 10-15mph gusting to 25mph are expected there.
Wind chills be very cold during this time and into Thursday! Keep in mind that actual temperatures will be at or near the single digits across the state by 4:00am. Wind chill values may be as low as -15°F! The coldest air temperatures will be across Southern Michigan and SW portions of the UP. Areas South of Gaylord will have wind chill values below to well below 0 by Thursday morning.
The good news is that this is a short-lived arctic blast. We will start to warm up by the weekend with temperatures in the 30s and perhaps some 40s by Sunday!
