GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The snow we've been talking about all week long is finally here, and so far, it's living up to expectations. Preliminary snowfall estimates are placing the highest totals in eastern Muskegon County, most of Ottawa County, southwestern Kent County, most of Allegan County western Barry County and northern Kalamazoo County. This region is seeing estimates of 3-4" as of 8:30 a.m.
There's more snow on the way throughout the rest of the day and into tomorrow with lake-effect snow continually trailing into West Michigan. The heaviest snow bands today could bring an additional 3-5" by tomorrow morning.
Our 13 Weather Impact Alert continues through today and into tomorrow morning. This is in alignment with a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service last night which will expire Saturday at 7 a.m.
The main impact of this wintry weather will be to travel. Slippery roads combined with poor visibility have already made for rough roads this morning. MDOT has reported multiple slide-offs and a 15 car pile-up briefly shut down a portion of US-131 northbound overnight. Prepare to need extra time on the roads today and remember to give snow plows plenty of following distance.
Although lake-effect snow will taper throughout the weekend, the below-freezing temperatures aren't going anywhere. Expect highs near 30° today with breezy winds leaving our wind chills in the upper teens. Saturday will be even colder, only topping out in the upper 20s but feeling like the low to mid-teens.
We'll see some improvement by Sunday with an afternoon high temperature near-freezing, but wind chills will still be in the lower 20s all day long. Temperatures will hover around freezing through the first full week of December with more lake-effect snow chances in the forecast.