LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for all counties in Mid-Michigan.
The warning will begin at 2 p.m. Friday and expire at 4 a.m. Saturday.
Friday is a Weather Aware Day as that winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow and gusty winds to the area starting in the afternoon.
The system should begin to move into the area around noon, likely starting with a few rain showers along I-94. As the system continues northward, snow showers will move in and begin affecting all of Mid-Michigan later in the afternoon.
Snow will continue this evening but become more intense as heavy snow bands move into the area. All precipitation is expected to end tonight into early morning Saturday.
Snowfall totals should remain around six to nine inches for most of the area. However, as previously mentioned heavy snow bands will begin to set up this afternoon. The exact placement of these is currently unknown.
But areas within these bands could see snowfall accumulations above 10 inches. There is still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding the placement of the heaviest snow totals. The latest computer models from this morning, place the heaviest snowfall in areas south of Lansing.
Today’s evening commute is likely going to be very difficult for multiple reasons. The first is the heavy snowfall beginning around this time. Currently, forecast models have snowfall rates above one inch/hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Snowfall rates this intense will reduce visibility to near zero at certain times. On top of this, winds will also begin to pick up around this time. Winds will likely gust near 35-45 mph, which could lead to blowing snow also reducing visibility. If you plan to be out on the roads this evening into tonight, make sure to be extra careful and patient.
If any changes to the forecast are required, we will be sure to update you on-air, online, and through the StormTracker 6 App.
