Author: MichaelV (Otsego)

Weather History 1975: A tornado injured one person as it destroyed two mobile homes at Byron Center in Kent County. 1977: The last half of May is unusually warm. Record high temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s are set across Lower Michigan from the 16th to the 28th. This helps make it the…

  The southern half of the state has a 33% to 40% chance of above-average temperatures, and the north has equal chances. There is also a 33% to 40% chance of above-normal precipitation. Weather History 1923: A tornado injured two people in Kent County as it moved through rural areas from east of Coopersville to…

Weather History 1915: Lansing records their latest measurable snow on record with 0.4 inches, and Grand Rapids also does, with 0.2 inches there. On May 18, 2017, a record high low temperature of 68 degrees was set at Flint, breaking the old record of 62 degrees from 2015. On May 18, 1962, the temperature rose…

Last Nights Storms It was another wild night in Michigan, with several tornadoes reported. NWS crews will be out for confirmations today. In Otsego, we had some wind, intense lightning, and rain. There was a possible tornado just north of Martin.  A debris signature confirmed another tornado on the ground near the Caledonia area. There…

Timing & Storm Risks         Weather History 1855: A tornado destroys at least one building as it moves from Jackson to Washtenaw County. 1972: A tornado caused minor damage north of Potterville in Eaton County. On May 15, 1942, Flint was in the middle of a hot streak from the 14th to…

Thursday SPC Forecast …Upper MS Valley and western Great Lakes… 04 UTC surface observations show upper 50s to low 60s dewpoints already spreading northwest into the upper MS Valley as a surface low begins to organized across the northern Plains. Confidence remains high that dewpoints in the mid 60s should overspread much of the region…

Yesterday was a warm 87° in Otsego.  We had a tenth of an inch of rainfall overnight with a low of 60° at midnight. There is a chance of showers today, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. It will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. The east southeast wind will be around…

After several days of high-pressure domination, we will see an increase in cloud cover later today. There are chances of rain and perhaps a thunder shower through Thursday night.  Temperatures will rise into the low 80s today and the upper 70s with higher dewpoints Tuesday through Thursday. Weather History 1956: A severe weather outbreak produces…

Below is an article from the Lansing Capital News Service referencing budget cuts in the NWS.  These cuts will affect forecasting, balloon launches, and buoys in the Great Lakes,  This has affected forecasting graphics and historical weather data, especially in the Grand Rapids office. The National Weather Service (NWS) is experiencing significant cuts, including job…

We have a string of beautiful days in store with highs in the mid-60s to 70s and 80s moving into next week.  Our next good chance of rain comes next Tuesday. Weather History 1923: A very late-season winter storm dropped up to a foot of snow across Lower Michigan. Records were set for May snowfall…