Heavy snow forecast for portions of northern, western Michigan Wednesday
Nearly all of northern and western Michigan are under winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service said Wednesday a clipper system will "progressively ramp up" the snow and wind in northern Michigan, and some initial light snow will eventually give way to some heavier bursts and squalls of snow. This may lead to "highly variable" travel conditions throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
"Eventually, the lake effect snow machine kicks in as winds turn more northwesterly overnight," the NWS office in Gaylord, Michigan said Wednesday. "As a result, the snowbelt areas will likely see an additional 6-10 inches of snow overnight, with some spots potentially seeing 12+ inches."
The NWS said lake effect snow showers are expected to continue Thursday across parts of northern Michigan, and while most areas will see less than an inch, areas near and south of Grand Traverse Bay could see an additional 3-5 inches of snow Thursday morning through Thursday evening.
"Heavy snow combined with strong winds will lead to dangerous travel, including whiteout conditions at times and blowing/drifting snow," the NWS office in Gaylord said Wednesday. The worst conditions are expected later Wednesday afternoon into the evening with snow squalls.
In western Michigan, the NWS office in Grand Rapids issued a winter storm warning for the cities of Grand Rapids, Fremont, Kalamazoo and Muskegon, among others, from 5 p.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Friday.
Snow forecast map
Heavy snow and blowing snow are expected in portions of southwest and west central Michigan, according to the weather service, with total snow accumulations between 4-10 inches, with locally higher amounts possible, and winds gusting as high as 50 mph.
Michigan has already seen more than 3 feet of snow in some places
A weather system over the past week dumped more than 3 feet of snow in some Michigan cities, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the Paste BN network.
In the Upper Peninsula, National Weather Service observers in Luce County saw more than 40 inches of snow over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend with snow totals ranging from 2-40 inches, according to data from the National Weather Service in Marquette.
The snow was driven by what's known as lake effect, a phenomena in which moisture-laden air drops heavy snow in some places downwind from large bodies of water while other areas receive almost nothing.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at Paste BN. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.