GRAND RAPIDS -- The incoming winter storm barreling across the Midwest is expected to first bring snow, then rain, then change to snow again amid high winds in what meteorologists call a "complicated" weather event. The Grand Rapids area could see 1-2 inches of snow today and another 1-3 inches tonight before temperatures begin to rise into the mid-30s after midnight.
| TRACKING THE STORY | ||
| Top 5 December snowfalls for Grand Rapids: Dec. 11, 2000 -- 14.2 inches Source: National Weather Service | ||
The worst part of the storm is expected Wednesday night into Thursday morning, when temperatures are expected to plummet into the teens as blowing, heavy snow comes into the area.
"You can imagine with all the slush on the roads and 35 mph wind gusts what it's going to be like," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Sekelsky in Grand Rapids. "Thursday morning is looking like a really treacherous-driving situation," he said, with near-blizzard conditions possible.
"This is going to be a long-duration storm with multiple impacts," he said. "Basically, it's tracking right through the heart of southwestern lower Michigan. It's an unusual event with the strength of the storm."
After temperatures fall below freezing late Wednesday afternoon, snow could accumulate above 6 inches in the Grand Rapids area and continue falling into Thursday as lake-effect snow bands set up, Sekelsky said.
The heaviest snowfall is expected in areas north of Grand Rapids, including Cadillac and Ludington, where temperatures will remain below freezing through the next few days. The area could see more than a foot of snow, Sekelsky said.
Original Posted By: John Tunison | The Grand Rapids Press
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