The weekend weather across Michigan features just flat-out deep winter weather. It’s not a “snowstorm” weekend, but one day is snowy. Both days are truly frigid.
A full-fledged snowstorm will pass just south and east of Michigan this weekend. We will be in a northwestern extension of that storm, with a widespread area of light snow moving across Michigan Saturday.
Here is the radar forecast for Friday night to Sunday evening.
Radar forecast from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Sunday
Notice how the area over Michigan just fills in with light snow during Saturday. As the widespread light snow moves out of Michigan by Sunday morning, isolated much heavier lake effect will develop. Right now the lake effect doesn’t look like it will take up a large area, but could be intense in very localized spots.
The heavy lake effect will come on a north-northwest wind. This wind flow keeps the heavy snow close to the Lake Michigan shoreline. So expect heavy snow Sunday from Benton Harbor north to South Haven and Grand Haven, and all along the shoreline up to the Traverse City area. Leelanau County can get especially heavy snow in this situation. On the Lake Huron side, the Alpena area could have localized heavy snow. The eastern half of the Thumb could also see heavy snow. Of course anywhere in the U.P. could be in heavy lake effect snow with a north-northwest wind.
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The rest of Lower Michigan probably will just have an occasional snow flurry Sunday.
How much snow for the weekend? Here’s the best map I can show you. I don’t think it’s a great way to show you because some of the lake effect could be much heavier. This map will give you a general feel that we all get some snow, and if it’s light or heavy in your area.
Total snowfall from Thursday through Sunday evening.
I would say in most areas we can expect one to two inches of snow on Saturday. The lake effect areas could have over six inches through the weekend.
After the weather system passes east Saturday night, another batch of arctic air starts to move down into Michigan.
High temperature forecast for Saturday, February 13, 2021
High temperature forecast for Sunday, February 14, 2021
Sunday will struggle to get into the lower teens for much of the day.
Watch for short-term updates on the MLive.com weather page and join the Michigan Weather facebook group. Many Michiganders share weather updates from across the state on the facebook group.
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