Merry Christmas to you all from the Weather Center. Not looking a lot like Christmas with most locations in SW Michigan lacking snow on the ground this morning. I am sure we will more than make up for this lack as we creep into the new year.
Yesterday’s high temp was 38.5° the low 23.5°
Forecast Discussion
...Warmer today a chance of rain this afternoon... The going forecast is largely on track. Low pressure over the northern Plains will strengthen today and in doing so will draw up some warmer and more moist air in the state. We may see some fog develop as the higher dewpoints move over the colder ground. Today will be generally cloudy. Models are showing a wave developing on the front that will move through today. That wave will likely produce some light rain north of I-96 this afternoon. Another wave moving up the front will produce some rain south of I-96 tonight. Given that waves on frontal boundary tend to slow down fronts, the showers will linger into Saturday morning, but the afternoon should be mostly dry. Today will be the warmest day of the next seven as highs should climb to around 50 south of I-96. ...Stronger system Sunday night/Monday... The next system will arrive Sunday night. It`ll be stronger than the one today and has the potential to produce some freezing rain. The low will track across northern Missouri and then northern Indiana. There will be another surge of warmer and moist air ahead of it. This looks like a rain changing to snow type of system where we see an inch of snow, followed by a change over to rain. North of I-96, there may be a period of freezing rain, so we`ll continue to monitor the evolution of this system for potential headlines. ...Similar system Tuesday night... Yet another low may be headed toward lower Michigan Tuesday night. The models depict a similar evolution of this system to the on Sunday night. So it may be another snow to rain situation that could lead to travel impacts north of I-96 Wednesday morning.
Merry Christmas everybody!! I hope you all have a beautiful Christmas. 🙂
Wow, 50 degrees now. Needless to say, all of our snow melted today.
This from the NWS office Grand Rapids.
THE RAIN AND FOG WILL EXIT EARLY SATURDAY WITH THE COLD FRONTAL
PASSAGE AND ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR. IT’S POSSIBLE WE’LL EVEN SEE A
FEW HOURS OF SUNSHINE IN THE AFTERNOON IF WE CAN LOSE THE LOW
CLOUDS AS GUIDANCE SUGGESTS. HIGH TEMPS AT SOME OF THE CLIMATE
SITES MAY END UP MAKING IT INTO THE LIST OF THE TOP 10 WARMEST
CHRISTMAS DAYS.
I need not say more.
Slim
My one piece of advice this Christmas is to gather with your families, don’t wait for “better” or “safer” times. You don’t know what the future brings, so don’t take for granted that you can just wait and get together at some future time. It is important for your mind, body and soul to be with your fellow loved ones at Christmas Time.
If everyone is vaccinated and boostered, yes! On the other hand I do not allow any unvaccinated adult to step foot inside my house, including repair people! Even if they are related to me they are stepping foot inside my house or car! Case closed!
I agree with what Rocky says! Up until this winter we have had a lot of get together with our family in the garage with the door up or sitting outside in the yard. Now everyone is vaccinated and boostered but inside they wear masks.
Rock on Sandy! You are a very smart person that listens and understands science! fantastic!
Merry Christmas! from an “unseasonably” cold Clearwater Beach, FL.
Mr Negative, my in-laws live near Austin TX, supposed to be mid-80’s down there all Christmas weekend! Merry Christmas!
50 and rain for Christmas Eve seems very appropriate for another warm year we’ve seen in 2021. Perhaps winter will be even shorter than 2 months this year!
Bill Steffen stated in his winter forecast that he “expects this December to be the coldest in 4 or maybe even 8 years previous”. and that “there’s a good chance of a white Christmas, yes, Santa will be happy, I can guarantee you that”… hope Bill gets coal in his stocking… 😐
Bill is very cold biased in his forecasting. There was A LOT of wishcasting in that December forecast he provided. It’s the same thing every year with WoodTV’s winter forecast, you’d think after being wrong so many years in a row now they would learn, but they just keep on wishing!
I can’t wait till the arctic air arrives, then the real party can begin!
Marry Christmas to one and all. The official overnight low at GRR was 30 here at my house the overnight low was 33. At this time it is cloudy and 37 here. The snow that was on the ground is now all gone. This year will be the 7th green Christmas in the last 11 years. In the last 4 years only last year had snow on the ground for Christmas. On average over the last 120 years 65% have had snow on the ground at GR.
Slim
I can’t believe it’s Christmas already. With the omicron numbers exploding, I’m not sure if we will go to Mass tonight. My prayer this Christmas is that we finally get beyond this pandemic. Thank you MV for providing this site. It is informative and entertaining. Thank you Slim for sharing your vast knowledge and pinch-hitting as needed. And thanks to all of the commenters/friends for your input and banter. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.
Stay well –
Mark
My prayer is for anyone not vaccinated and boostered to come to their senses and get it done! Incredible ignorance!
I am sorry to say that in looking at the recent numbers across both the United States and in several European countries it sure looks like this is going to get real ugly.
Slim
The good news is Omicron seems very mild. Hopefully this is a turning point in the pandemic. Normally serious viruses get weaker as they mutate and it appears that is what is happening. Once that happens this should become like a common cold, hopefully. My wife and I are vaxxed and boostered and we both have had our flu vaccine as well, so we’ve prepared ourselves!
Agreed. South Africa is already seeing a dramatic drop in omicron cases. I hope the same happens in the US in the next few weeks. I feel for our healthcare systems. They are so overwhelmed and overworked. As of the end of last week, 85% of all hospitalized patients are unvaccinated. The big problem is if/when the medical staff get omicron and they are unable to work and care for those patients.
Well, like the old song goes, “one foggy Christmas Eve”, it is incredibly foggy out this morning. Can barely see across the parking lot at work. Interesting Christmas weather with rain, followed by another system with rain, and then another system with rain. Merry Christmas everyone!
I guess that Rudolph will be used tonight.
Slim
🎶 Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say…🎵