Yesterday, we reached a balmy 40° and a low of 20°. At 6 a.m., we are currently at 19°.
Wind chills down to -15 degrees can make frostbite possible in 30 minutes. Snow totals through Tuesday could exceed 6 inches downwind of Lake Michigan, mainly west of US-131. Some snow will also occur toward Mid-Michigan. If you have to drive, ensure you have full-body winter clothes in your car in case you get stuck in a ditch.

Lake Effect Snow will increase today and persist through Tuesday night. The lakeshore region will be most impacted by this snow, but some of the bands will expand inland and could lead to impacts along I-96 and I-94, including the cities of Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

The coldest daytime temperatures in 6 years are on the way for Monday and Tuesday. Wind chills down to -15 degrees can make frostbite possible in 30 minutes. Snow totals by Tuesday could exceed 6 inches downwind of Lake Michigan, mainly west of US-131. Some snow will also occur toward Mid-Michigan.
Winter Weather Advisory
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Lake effect snow and areas of blowing and drifting snow expected. Additional snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches with locally higher amounts possible. * WHERE...Portions of southwest and west central Michigan. * WHEN...Until 1 AM EST Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Visibility and road conditions may change rapidly over short distances in lake effect snow. Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning and evening commutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Wind chills in the -10F to -20F range are likely Monday Morning through Wednesday.
Weather History
1907: Southerly winds bring moist and mild weather with highs in the 50s followed by heavy rains as a cold front moves through. Grand Rapids sets a record high for the date of 56 degrees along with a record rainfall total of 1.84 inches.
1979: A homeowner was killed when his garage roof collapsed due to the weight of the snow on it. Several other homeowners suffered injuries as roofs collapsed throughout southwest Michigan. There were more than 50 reported roof collapses by the end of February, with most of the collapses occurring in the second half of January. At one point the snowpack was measured as weighing more than 25 pounds per square foot.
1994: Temperatures remain below zero all day long. Extreme cold prevails from the 14th to the 21st but this is the coldest day. Grand Rapids ties the all-time record low for the month of January with 22 below zero, followed by a high of only 2 below zero. An unofficial low of 53 below zero is recorded in the Upper Peninsula at Amasa, Michigan. Water and sewer pipes freeze, causing 50 million dollars in damage across Michigan.
Forecast Discussion
- Lake Effect Snow Through Tuesday Night Increasing radar returns suggest that lake effect snow has begun to develop across the lakeshore this morning. Intensity of snow showers is expected to increase through the day today as a mid-level shortwave and the arrival of the cold core aloft cause inversion heights to climb to 10-15 kft. Winds then shift to westerly tonight causing snow to expand inland given favorable low-level instability. These showers continue through Tuesday night before diminishing as upper-level ridging arrives. There are some signals that Monday Night into Tuesday we may see some banding set up between I94 and I96 as a high to our south leads to increased wind convergence. Specifics as to how this could evolve are unclear. Near the lakeshore, accumulations look to to be in the 8-12 inch range through Wednesday morning with locally higher amounts possible. Given the long duration of this event, with amounts below warning criteria in any given 24 hour window this looks to be a high end advisory event at this point. Have extended the current advisory to early Wednesday morning. Inland towards US131, snow looks to be in the 3-6 inch range for the most part so have issued a winter weather advisory from early this evening through Tuesday evening. Further east a widespread 1-4 inch snowfall is expected. Some blowing snow is also possible. In terms of impacts, expect dangerous travel conditions due to snowfall and reduced visibilities, especially for roads like US31, 131, and I94 near and west of US131 where we have seen pile-up accidents happen in similar kinds of events. This will only be compounded by the fact that bitter cold temperatures will render salt largely ineffective. Even areas that receive lighter amounts may still see areas of slick conditions as a result. If you need to travel, drive with caution and plan for extra travel time. - Very Cold Temperatures Through Mid-Week In addition to the snow, dangerously cold conditions are expected in the early part of next week as an increasingly bitter airmass arrives. Between tonight and Wednesday highs will be in the single digits with lows near to below zero, especially where any breaks in lake-effect cloud cover can occur. Wind chills fall areawide to the -15 to -25F range Monday into Wednesday, coldest inland away from the warm influence of the lake. A Cold Weather Advisory will likely be needed, long in duration given increased winds pair with the modest daytime heating for little improvement in wind chill. Will will allow subsequent shifts to finalize exact timing given advisory level wind chills are 24-36 hours out. Our coldest conditions are expected Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. In particular, Wednesday morning will feature winds shifting to southwesterly removing lake influence from parts of our southeastern CWA. Given the fresh snowpack and potential clearing we may see wind chills fall below -25F (30-50 percent chance). Given conditions this cold lead to frostbite times of 30 min or less, ensure you bundle up when outdoors. - Moderating Temps and Additional Snow Chances Late Next Week The arrival of mid-level ridging briefly ends snow for Wednesday before a northern stream wave and associated clipper arrives for the Thursday/Friday timeframe. 850mb temps near -10C will be enough to support lake enhancement to the light synoptic snowfall. Southwest flow will mean our northwestern forecast area will be favored for the best lake enhancement. Ridging and the associated arrival of warm air will cause highs to climb into the 20s for Thursday into the weekend bringing a welcome relief to the bitter conditions.
Get ready! It looks like the NWS is finally agreeing with RDB snowfall forecast! Incredible!
This is the winter of haves and have nots! I don’t think I have over 12” for the whole winter, with the most in a single event at 3”. At least we have snow on the ground because it is cold. And at least we have good ice fishing conditions.
Had some friends talk me into watching the lions game at our restaurant last night. I haven’t watched them in years, they don’t look any different from back then. Ouch.
It wasn’t their game last night Maybe next year.
Just checked the MDot cam near the Saugatuck Rest Area and boy it’s snowing pretty hard and lots of snow on the freeway.
Yes and when the winds turn to the West that is how GR will be looking! I sure am glad we are having a mild winter!
What a winter! The snow just keeps coming! Bring on the polar vortex and tons of snow! The RDB still gives GR 4 to 8 inches of SNOW! Who loves winter? Just think some people are saying we are having a mild winter and a dry month! Incredible!
At the current time it is cloudy and 15 here in MBY I have around 2″ of snow on the ground at this time but there are some bare spots on the south side of the house. I work downtown in the winter months and there are many bare spots around. It looks like we have a chance of few days of real winter coming up with some snow (I am not 100% convinced on the snowfall totals) and snow very cold conditions.
Slim
THE GRAND RAPIDS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 19 2025 The H/L was 39/19 there was 0.01” of rainfall there was no snowfall there was 3” of snow on the ground. The highest wind gust was 29 MPH out of the NW the sun was out 62% of the time. For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 56 was in 1907 the coldest high of -2 was in 1994. 1994 also had the record low of -22 the warmest low of 39 was in 2013. The wettest was 1.84” in 1907 the most snowfall was 6.4” in… Read more »