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KEY MESSAGES

-Widespread snow and sleet spread as early as tonight. Freezing rain chances across central northern lower this Friday.

-Low pressure deepens across the Great Lakes region this weekend. Strong winds, cold temperatures and accumulating lake effect snow will return Sunday through Monday.

-Weather pattern remains active through the reminder of the forecast period with periods of snow beyond midweek next week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 330 AM EST Thu Dec 25 2025

Pattern Synopsis...Midlevel ridging remains straddled over the central CONUS with strong flow over the Great Lakes region. At the surface, this pattern supports the continuation of quiet and overall dry weather through the day. An embedded shortwave trough upstream with surface low pressure will continue to progress eastward this Friday, but snow showers will spread as early as overnight tonight.

Forecast Details...

Today...One more day of relatively quiet conditions continue across northern Michigan as post frontal high pressure builds over central Ontario. Subsidence aloft keeps low level atmospheric conditions dry through the day with H8 temperatures just below freezing. Daytime highs remain in the upper 20s to low 30s this Christmas with light anticyclonic flow veering surface winds to the west by this evening.

Tonight...Upstream low level troughing spreads eastward tonight. Overnight temperatures drop to the teen to low 20s for most areas along with increasing low level moisture being advected across the state. Stratiform snowfall will spread mainly across eastern upper and deliver accumulating snowfall to eastern upper, followed by precipitation spreads across the remainder of the CWA this Friday. Latest guidance depicts moderate frontogenic forcing ahead of the zone of warm advection leading to more organized snowfall and higher accumulations. Highest probs of snow before 12Z Friday remain a general 2-4 inches with locally higher amounts, but snow will be ongoing and continue into the long term.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 330 AM EST Thu Dec 25 2025

Friday and Saturday...Ongoing snowfall across the U.P will continue through the morning hours this Friday. Latest hi-rez guidance has push snowfall total probs across eastern upper higher than previously expected. While frontogenic lift will keep a sharp cut- off of snow around the M-32 corridor stretched down to Tawas, only a general 1-3' inches es expected across northern lower. Low end probs of a "high end" Winter Weather Advisory continue to increase with potential totals of 3-6" with locally higher totals of 7". Areas south of M-32 will experience strong low level warm advection introducing mixed precip. Current guidance continues to keep ice totals at a few hundredths while QPF totals are closer to a tenth or more. Low end potential of higher ice totals remains possible if rainfall this Friday turns light rather than convective leading to more efficient growth.

Sunday and Monday...Midlevel troughing pattern currently over the Gulf of Alaska deepens and makes its way toward the central U.S this weekend. At the surface, cyclogenesis develops lee of the Rockies and continues to deepen as it tracks across the CWA around the Sunday night/Monday morning timeframe. Rain showers spread as early as Saturday followed by overnight cold air advection, switching rain to snow accompanied by gusty winds up to 30 knots. Accumulating snow continues to remain likely across the snowbelts, with the highest probs of 2-4" in the classic NW region and even low probs (20-40%) of 6" for localized areas. Continued NW flow will carry snow showers through Monday, but with less synoptic support and lesser amounts for the majority of the CWA.

Tuesday and Wednesday...Midlevel troughing will continue to occupy the Great Lakes region through the end of the forecast period. This p pattern supports continued cold air over the northwoods with periodic height disturbances to deliver snowfall chances and with lingering lake effect snowfall. No evidence of widespread heavy snowfall at this point, but periods of accumulations remain likely as we head to the New Year.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 625 AM EST Thu Dec 25 2025

Solidly MVFR across the board for the time being. Surface high pressure to the north will eventually bring about some lifting CIGs, and we go VFR later this morning into the afternoon. Ongoing gusty N winds trend weaker into the afternoon as well... eventually veering all the way SE by the end of the period, along with trending gustier again. System approaches the region, bringing wintry mix to the region. Anticipating SN at CIU later tonight... with PLN, TVC, and MBL just beginning their precipitation potential late tonight / early Friday morning. Potential for PL and FZRA at TVC and MBL. APN likely holds dry through the forecast period. Onset of precipitation tonight / early Friday morning will bring about MVFR to IFR CIGs and VSBYs.

APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MI...Winter Weather Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 PM EST Friday for MIZ086>088-095>097. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from midnight tonight to 1 PM EST Friday for LHZ345>349. Small Craft Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 10 AM EST Friday for LMZ323-341-342-344>346. Small Craft Advisory from midnight tonight to 1 PM EST Friday for LSZ321-322.