Huge Storm! Blizzard like conditions through Monday for much of the state

A huge winter storm is heading straight for Central Michigan.

We've been following the models on this system for well over a week, and after several path changes here and there, it looks like this low will track somewhere along the border of Indiana/Michigan, Ohio/Michigan.

The current problem with this system is the warm temps that are in place, however, do not fear, because the temps should begin to quickly fall over the next several hours, and the phasing of the two lows over Illinois and Iowa has begun to fill in the dry slot to our south.

THE FORECAST: The heaviest snow will move in early Sunday morning and last throughout much of the day and into Sunday night. Some areas could see snowfall rates approaching 1.5"/hour. Once the snow lets up, we will, unfortunately, not be finished, as the winds will kick up, ranging from 20-30MPH, and gusts as high as 45MPH, creating near blizzard/blizzard like conditions. I even expect some counties to be upgraded to Blizzard warnings tomorrow.

TRAVEL INFO: Travel for much of Sunday, and even into Monday morning will be very, very treacherous. Nearly 60% of the highways in Iowa have been completely shut down by this storm, and several counties out there are issuing Civil Emergency messages stating to not leave your home unless it is a complete emergency - I've even see one county post that they will not be sending out any emergency personnel unless there are injuries - do I expect it to get that bad here? I'm not completely sure, but I would completely advise against traveling tomorrow, especially in the afternoon and evening hours as the winds really start to kick up.

EXTENDED OUTLOOK: Once this system moves through, we'll be in for some very bitterly cold air for the next several days. Temps in the teens and single digits are certainly possible, with wind chills going below zero. We will get away from the snow for a bit, but later into next week we look at another shot at snow as another system approaches.

Huge storm on the way for this weekend?

The models have been blowing up with an enormous storm that will sweep across the nation later this week, and finally arriving in the Great Lakes region sometime over the weekend.

The GFS has been trending back and forth in a ton of different directions, first taking it to the coast, then taking the low track further west, and now in the most recent runs, it's someplace in between.

The storm should come ashore on Wednesday, which will finally give the computers a full sample, giving the output data a better, more consistent look.

We'll have to keep a close eye on this storm. If everything plays out, it will end up being our first big snowstorm of the season, and it could be huge. Preliminary ideas are showing a ton of moisture, with strong winds and cold temps on the backside, which would likely mean blizzard like conditions.

Stay tuned for further updates throughout the week.

Winter is back, and so is this blog!

It's been a while since I've made a post here. I'm just not active with the weather, or at least blogging about the weather, when it's not snowing.

To catch up; it was a great Summer in Michigan. Very mild, above normal temperatures. Precip varied throughout the Great Lakes, and we lacked strong storms, but still saw several days where a passing shower would roll through.

So what's next? Let's just ahead to the present. Thanksgiving is on the way next week, and though the weather recently has been pretty bland, it's looking more and more possible that a decent storm will develop, and affect either the Midwest, Northeast, or both. Currently, the GFS keeps flip-flopping between several different solutions, so, it's too early to tell.

We'll keep this updated throughout the weekend. Snow, rain, mix, and ice is all possible with this system; now it will just be a matter of how much cold air wraps into this.

Sunny and warm weekend; rain returns Monday

Quiet weather will last through the weekend after a soaking rain on Thursday, which dropped 1-2" of rain on most of Mid-Michigan.

The weekend will stay quiet with temps reaching the low 70s (upper 60s near the lake) and plenty of sunshine.

As we head into next week, however, rain will return for Monday and into early Tuesday. The low looks like it will past just south of us, so Mid-Michigan may miss much of the heavy rain, but that' could change, and either way it look like we'll see at best cloudy conditions and some showers. Following the brief rain early in the week, we look at a warm up lasting through next week and even into the following week as we look to stick in the 70s and even hitting the 80s by the following week.

Enjoy the weekend!

Strong storms possible overnight

A strong cold front is making it's way across the Plains today, and with it, it will being strong thunderstorms and even the chance for Tornadoes. We should miss most of the worst part of it due to cooler tempuratures, however, strong to severe storms are still possible overnight.

Storms are likely throughout the overnight, and will bring with them the potential for strong winds, heavy rain, and hail.

So, what is the reason for all of these storms at this time in the year? Well, we have a perfect set up with the dynamics, and with a strong cold front clashing with a lot of warm, humid air, you end up with quite a bit of instability. As you head into Michigan, the storms are expected to be less severe due to cooler tempertures, but as stated above, anything is possible so I would try to keep yourself posted through the overnight.

The worst places hit with this system will be back to our south and west. Tornado watches and Severe T-Storm watches are posted across numerous states, with the strongest storms currently being in Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, pushing north and eastward.

As the front moves by, temps will drop over the next several days, but will warm up by the weekend. More updates to come tomorrow.

Mild temps to continue thru Wednesday

The CM-Weather Blog is officially back! I had some really busy weeks and just didn't have the time to post, along with the fact that the weather has been really boring.

As most have noticed, winter is basically over. All of those wishes of a decent snowstorm have come and gone. Now, mild air has filtered in and the past week or two have been extremely nice.

The mild weather looks to continue into this week, as temps will range from the mid-60s to low-70s, with slightly cooler readings near the lake shores.

The much needed rain that we saw yesterday was definetley welcome to the area. It helped lower our fire-danger risk, and will help the grass, flowers, and trees sprout.

More rain is one the way as we head into the middle part of the week. By Tuesday night, a pretty organized system will be heading towards the GL Region. With it, we'll see our first chance for strong to severe T-Storms.

Extended Outlook (subject to change*):

MONDAY: High 70 F - Partly Sunny and Warm
TUESDAY: High 72 F - Afternoon T-Storms possible
WEDNESDAY: High 60 F - Cooler with showers possible, otherwise cloudy
THURSDAY: High 48 F - Much cooler; Mostly Sunny
FRIDAY: High 46 F - Mostly Sunny and cooler

Winter over? Quiet, warm weather into the weekend

Winter may finally be over for the Great Lakes. The past several days and even the past week and a half or so have been very mild. Highs today headed into the lower-mid 60s! It will stay nice through Friday, with highs in the upper 50s and lots of sun, but as we head to Friday night and Saturday, there is almost a guarantee of rain and cooler temps, dropping back into the 40s. It will be an all rain event for Chicago, Detroit, Mid-MI, but back further west into Kansas and Nebraska they could see one last shot at accumulating snow.

The long range is similar - quiet with no huge storms in sight. Next week will defineltey be cooler than this week, however, temps should stay stick around 40 with a few chances or rain towards the middle parts of the week.

Overall, I'd say our shot at anymore snow is gone. Infact, this week is going to be so nice that most golf courses plan on opening this weekend (and I'll be out there!!) so hopefully this nice weather sticks around and just continues to improve.