Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Grand Rapids, MI

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FXUS63 KGRR 270807
AFDGRR

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
407 AM EDT MON OCT 27 2008

LATEST UPDATE...ALL SECTIONS EXCEPT AVIATION...

.SYNOPSIS...(407 AM EDT MON OCT 27 2008)
CHILLY CANADIAN AIR WILL RESIDE OVER THE GREAT LAKES TODAY AND
TUESDAY.  DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY STRUGGLE TO REACH 40.  THIS
COLD AIR...OVER THE RELATIVE WARMER WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN WILL
PRODUCE LAKE EFFECT PRECIPITATION THROUGH TUESDAY.  RAIN WILL BECOME
MIXED WITH SNOW TODAY...THEN CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BY THIS EVENING.
AREAS WITHIN 50 MILES OF LAKE MICHIGAN COULD SEE UP TO TWO INCHES OF
SNOW ACCUMULATION TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY.  THE SNOW WILL WIND DOWN
TUESDAY NIGHT.  WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR THE LATTER HALF
OF THE WEEK ALONG WITH SOME SUNSHINE.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(407 AM EDT MON OCT 27 2008)
(TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)
THE LONG ANTICIPATED COLD AIR HAS ARRIVED THIS MORNING.  LAKE
MICHIGAN HAS RESPONDED WITH LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS BREAKING OUT
SINCE ABOUT 1 AM.  THICKNESS VALUES ARE STILL TOO WARM TO SUPPORT
MUCH MORE THAN RAIN EARLY THIS MORNING.  HOWEVER...IN SOME OF THE
MORE INTENSE SHOWERS...SOME SNOW OR EVEN HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE.  THE
CHILLY AIR WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT IN THROUGH THE DAY AND SNOW
MIXING WITH THE RAIN WILL BECOME MORE COMMON FROM NW TO SE.  THE
THINKING NOW IS THAT SNOW WILL APPEAR NW OF A GRAND HAVEN TO RQB
LINE BY MID DAY...WITH THE REST OF THE CWA SEEING SNOW MIXING IN
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.  DUE TO THE MIXED NATURE...ANY DAYTIME
ACCUMULATION WILL BE LESS THAN AN INCH AND MAINLY OVER THE NW CWA.

THERE WILL BE A BETTER CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW TONIGHT.  ONE
CONCERN HOWEVER IS THAT THERE IS A TREND FOR THE FLOW TO BE MORE NNW
THAN NW.  THIS WOULD LEAVE THE BEST LAKE BANDS HUGGING THE LAKE
SHORE COUNTIES.  AGAIN I/M THINKING THE BULK OF THESE AREAS WILL SEE
LESS THAN AN INCH...HOWEVER LOCALIZED 2-3 INCHES IS NOT OUT OF THE
QUESTION.  MUCH OF THIS WILL BE A GRASSY SURFACES AND CAR TOPS.
FURTHER INLAND...EAST OF U.S. 131...MOST AREAS WILL ONLY SEE A
DUSTING...IF THAT.

THE LAKE EFFECT WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY...BUT THE RISK OF
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE REDUCED AS THE DIURNAL IMPACTS CAUSE THE
SHOWERS TO BECOME MORE OPEN CELLS.  THE MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF THE
TIMING OF THE SURFACE RIDGE APPROACHING FROM THE WEST.  THIS MEANS
THE LAKE EFFECT COULD LINGER INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...SO HAVE ADDED POPS.

SKIES WILL GRADUALLY CLEAR ON WEDNESDAY AS THE RIDGE FINALLY MOVES
IN.  TEMPS WILL RESPOND TO THE SUNSHINE AND CLIMB TO 45 TO 50.

&&

.LONG TERM...(407 AM EDT MON OCT 27 2008)
(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)
RATHER STRONG WARM AIR ADVECTION IS SHOWN BY THE MEDIUM RANGE
MODELS ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION FOR THU INTO FRI.  THEN A
BACKDOOR COLD FRONT SLIPS DOWN FROM THE NORTH FOR FRI EVENING.  THIS
FRONTAL PASSAGE LOOKS DRY.  AN IMPRESSIVE 1040+ MB HIGH WILL BE
DROPPING DOWN FROM CENTRAL CANADA DRAWING A SHALLOW COLD AIRMASS
INTO THE REGION FOR FRI NIGHT INTO SAT NIGHT.  HOWEVER THE PATTERN
WILL BE PROGRESSIVE DESPITE THE AMPLIFICATION AND STRONG WARM AIR
ADVECTION RETURNS FOR SUN.  MODELS ARE IN RELATIVE AGREEMENT FOR
THIS SCENARIO.  NO PRECIPITATION FORECASTED FOR THE EXTENDED
PERIOD.  I MODIFIED WINDS UPWARD FOR MOST PERIODS GIVEN THE STRONG
TEMPERATURE ADVECTION PATTERN SEEN.  I DID LOWER TEMPERATURES FRI
NIGHT INTO SAT GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF THE COLD AIR ADVECTION AND THE
SHALLOW NATURE OF THE COLD AIRMASS.
&&

.MARINE...(407 AM EDT MON OCT 27 2008)
WILL MAINTAIN THE GALE WARNING THIS MORNING...HOWEVER IT MAY BE ABLE
TO BE CANCELED BY MID/LATE THIS MORNING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
RELAXES A BIT.  ONCE THIS IS DONE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE
NEEDED THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY NIGHT AS WAVES WILL REMAIN HIGH WITH
THE UNSTABLE NATURE OF THE LAKE.

&&

.AVIATION...(1153 PM EDT SUN OCT 26 2008)
THE COLD FRONT HAS COME THROUGH THE AREA AND COLD ADVECTION RAIN
SHOWERS ARE SETTING UP IN NORTHWEST FLOW. PROBLEM THERE IS SOME
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING SETS IN BEHIND THE DEVELOPING CLOSED 500 MB LOW
THAT IS NOW EXITING THE STATE TO THE EAST. THAT SHOULD HELP BREAK UP
THE SHOWERS AND LOW CLOUDS INLAND LATER TONIGHT AS LOW LEVEL WINDS
BECOME MORE NORTHWEST VERSE BEING MORE WESTERLY AS THEY WERE EARLY
THIS EVENING. WITH THE WARMER AIR ROTATING SOUTHWARD SOUTHWARD
ACROSS THE CWA AFTER 06Z FROM 925 MB THROUGH 700 MB.... I BELIEVE IT
WILL REMAIN TO WARM FOR SNOW TO BE A SERIOUS ISSUE AT THE TAF SITES
OVERNIGHT.

ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL WAVE COMES INTO THE CWA LATER MONDAY AND MONDAY
NIGHT. THIS WILL BRING THE COLDEST AIR WITH IT AN WILL HAVE THE BEST
CHANCE OF CHANGING RAIN TO SNOW AT THE TAF SITES. HOWEVER DUE TO THE
NORTH NORTHWEST WINDS ONLY MKG AND AZO HAVE A REAL CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION MONDAY NIGHT. I FELT MKG WAS JUST TO CLOSE TO THE LAKE
FOR SNOW. THUS THE ONLY LOCATION I HAVE SNOW IN THE TAFS IS IN AZO.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...(407 AM EDT MON OCT 27 2008)
NO HYDRO CONCERNS AS PCPN NEXT 72 HOURS WILL BE GENERALLY SCATTERED
IN NATURE WITH QPF AMOUNTS BELOW HALF INCH.

&&

.GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MI...NONE.
LM...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT ST. JOE TO MANISTEE THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS:     JK
SHORT TERM:   JK
LONG TERM:    MJS
MARINE:       JK
AVIATION:     WDM
HYDROLOGY:    JK












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  • Page last modified: Aug 26th, 2008 18:04 UTC
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