GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — While the storm track has pushed slightly east and that could decrease our totals some, we are still anticipating significate snowfall and blizzard conditions.
The system will begin this afternoon, possibly as a wintry mix, but quickly transition to widespread snowfall overnight. By the time 7 am rolls around the lakeshore are looking at nearly 8+ inches of snow, while inland will have about half that.
Snow will continue to fall throughout the afternoon and winds will ramp up. By noon we are looking at a half foot inland to a foot along the lakeshore.
This is when we will see a switch from system snow to lake-enhanced snowfall—gaining a few additional inches with winds remaining ramped up at 40+ mph. This will cause near whiteout conditions.
Lake effect will continue into the overnight hours causing blowing and drifting snow throughout the day on Saturday. This is when gathering totals will become more difficult because of drifting, but we will likely start to see lakeshore communities reach 2 feet.
Because of all this snow and the magnitude of the winds, the National Weather Service has issued Blizzard Warnings from 4 pm tonight through 7 pm Saturday for all areas highlighted in orange. Areas in pink are still under a Winter Storm Warning.
While travel is not advised during the duration of the warning, I do believe the worst conditions will be early Friday afternoon through Friday evening as winds are expected to be the strongest at that time.
The wind's strengthening will cause blowing and drifting snow, isolated to scattered power outages, and wind chill values below zero.
Please take precautions to limit your time on the roads and plan for potential power outages.
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