Snow may impact your Thursday morning commute

WESTERN MICHIGAN – This week will likely bring our first snowflakes of the season! We expect the temperature to cool down to around 32 degrees on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. That temperature, combined with an overhead low-pressure system, and some influence on Lake Michigan’s lake effect, will likely generate some snow showers (or at least a rain/snow mix). The thumbnail image accompanying this story shows what the weather map may look like at 6 a.m. Thursday morning

Forecast models show the possibility of 1 to 3 inches of accumulation, especially on grassy areas and colder surfaces. That said, if the snow comes down hard and fast enough and we get a quick burst, it can easily overcome the warm ground and pile up on the sidewalk, making for some slick spots Thursday morning. Check out the image of the prediction model below. This comes from our internal GRAF model.

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In addition to snow showers, there will likely be intermittent rain showers for most of this week. These showers are generated by two sources. One: a low-pressure system over the state. Second, the warmer waters of Lake Michigan, which will generate lake-effect precipitation. Below, see the total precipitation expected through Friday at 6 p.m

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Take a look at the precipitation chances in the coming days. High, with the pink box on Thursday indicating a mix of rain and snow for the first half of the day.

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Our jet stream and upper level pattern will change this week, bringing colder changes with highs only into the 40s. Mid 40s are normal/average for this time of year, and we expect highs in the low/mid 40s Thursday through Sunday. See our top-level pattern prediction model below. Note the deep trough or dip in the jet stream and the colder colors on the map. These colors represent air masses. The blue colors indicate normal to slightly below normal temperatures.

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Wind will be the other factor this week. Our wind speeds will increase by about 10 to 20 miles per hour each day, with some higher gusts likely. Again driven by the low pressure area and colder air. Make sure to stay tuned for later predictions! View the full forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.