LANSING, Mich. — Tonight we'll be quiet with lows in the upper 20s under cloudy skies. Winds will be light around 5-15 mph out of the southeast.
The storm system could already through a few rain and snow showers our way by early Thursday afternoon. These won't be too big of a deal though. By about 3-5pm, though, we'll start to see the heavy snow bands move in. By 5pm at the absolute latest, anyone in the FOX47 viewing area needs to be hunkered down and off the roads. The road conditions will go downhill very quickly.
Thankfully even though heavy snow begins, the cold air and wind wont arrive until about 9-11pm Thursday evening. After that blizzard conditions are likely through the rest of the night and through Friday. Visibility will be near zero at times thanks to 55mph wind gusts blowing around the powdery snow. Please do not travel at all Thursday night through Friday night unless it is absolutely necessary.
Temperatures will be extremely cold Friday. They will fall into the single digits which means salt treatments on the roads won't work. Anything that was wet Thursday evening will be a sheet of ice by Friday morning. Then, add the blizzard conditions on top of it. Travel is downright NOT recommended.
Many of us will already see over half a foot of snow by daybreak Friday and potentially over a foot by Saturday morning. A few localized area could exceed 15" just by Saturday night. With more lake effect through Sunday and maybe even Monday, totals could go even higher.
Please remember that generators need to be outside and well ventilated. Do not run a generator in the basement or the garage. People have died from carbon monoxide as a result of doing that.
Road conditions could start to improve by Saturday evening, but they won't be perfect. Many areas will still experience bad blowing and drifting. Sunday will be a little bit better, but things won't be "business as usual" again until perhaps Monday.
Please stay safe and check back for frequent updates. I (Chief Meteorologist Brad Sugden) will be working around the clock through the entire weekend to keep you updated. In addition to being live on the air during the blizzard, I'll be doing frequent Facebook live updates on my page. Search Facebook for "Meteorologist Brad Sugden."
Want to learn more about the Weather? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
