It’s nice to be back after a tremendous week at the American Meteorological Society’s annual conference, and I came back into a pretty wild weather event.
The Local4Casters have been watching this storm carefully all week, and those of you who follow me on Twitter (@PGLocal4) even saw my updates from Texas. Temperatures when I got home late last night were in the 50s (11-12 degrees Celsius) and, by mid-afternoon today, had crashed all the way into the upper teens to low 20s (-5 to -7 degrees Celsius). The precipitation change occurred right on schedule, with rain changing to a brief period of freezing rain and sleet, followed by snow. Some parts of our area, especially the southeast, barely reached an inch of snow, which those of you to the north and northwest got three inches or even a little more. Any snow left in the area should quickly end by late afternoon or early evening, with little additional accumulation expected. We’ll then see partial clearing overnight, with lows near 10 degrees (-12 degrees Celsius). North-northwest wind at 10 to 20 mph will obviously make it feel even colder…wind chills by dawn should be around -5 degrees (-21 degrees Celsius). One possible exception to the overnight forecast is the eastern Thumb, as winds tonight combined with the Arctic air spilling in could generate a few lake effect snow bands that brush extreme eastern Sanilac and St. Clair Counties...these areas could see a bit more accumulation overnight…perhaps an inch or so.
**Untreated paved surfaces will have ice under the snow. Be very careful when walking or driving on any road, sidewalk or driveway.**
Also, a Flood Warning was issued this morning for all areas adjoining the St. Clair River in St. Clair County until Monday morning. Ice jams in the river have significantly increased the threat of flooding…river levels are already rising. I have not received any reports yet of actual flooding occurring, but those in the area should remain alert. Cities like Port Huron, East China Township, St. Clair, Algonac, Marine City, Harsens Island and Pearl Beach are among the communities potentially impacted.
We’ll start our Saturday cold, but with some sunshine. Skies then become partly to mostly cloudy by afternoon, with highs only in the upper teens (-8 degrees Celsius). Northwest wind at 8 to 12 mph will keep wind chills around 5 degrees (-15 degrees Celsius) during the afternoon. It’ll be a pretty cold day to visit the annual Plymouth Ice Spectacular, but I assure you that the ice sculptures don’t mind. They even like wind chill.
Saturday’s sunrise is at 8:00 a.m., and Saturday’s sunset is at 5:24 p.m.
Mostly clear Saturday night, with lows around 6 degrees (-14 degrees Celsius). Fortunately, winds will become nearly calm overnight.
Mostly sunny on Sunday, although clouds should start increasing by mid to late afternoon. Highs in the low 20s (-6 degrees Celsius). This will be the better of the two weekend days to head to Plymouth…the ice sculptures look spectacular in sunshine!
Becoming cloudy Sunday night, with snow potentially developing very late at night. Lows in the low teens (-11 degrees Celsius).
Snow is likely on Monday. This doesn't look like a massive storm, probably something on the order of one of those 2” to 3” snowfalls. Obviously, this is not a specific forecast…don’t “take this to the bank” yet...as the upper level disturbance that will generate the storm is still very far away (northwest Canada). I only mention the amounts to give you an initial handle on the general magnitude of the storm. I’ll Tweet an update sometime this weekend to update you on the latest. Highs Monday in the mid 20s (-3 degrees Celsius).
Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with snow showers. Highs near 20 degrees (-7 degrees Celsius).
The rest of the week looks dry, with at least partial sunshine each day. And get ready for a warming trend, with highs near 20 degrees (-7 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday, in the mid 20s (-4 degrees Celsius) on Thursday, in the mid 30s (1 to 2 degrees Celsius) on Friday, and possibly even into the 40s (6 degrees Celsius) on Saturday.
