textproduct: Grand Rapids

KEY MESSAGES

- Light snow accumulations at times through Sunday

- Good potential for snow accumulations next Tuesday and Wednesday

DISCUSSION

Issued at 332 AM EST Fri Dec 5 2025

- Light snow accumulations at times through Sunday

After a good deal of sunshine on Thursday for most locations under high pressure, clouds are redeveloping over the NW section of the area this morning. This is occurring as the ridge has moved east, and the flow from the SW is bringing clouds and flurries to that part of the area.

The potential for snow showers will continue to be possible across the NW portion of the area this morning with some lake effect, and then increase later for all areas. This occurs as we see the next short wave/clipper system in the series approach this afternoon. The expectation remains that some light accumulations of 1 to 3 inches of snow are likely for the NW quarter of the area. This system is moisture starved to start with, and doesn't have much cold air to work with for good over-lake instability, except right at the sfc. The best accumulations are likely a result of some over-lake instability, and more so moisture flux off of the lake.

Elsewhere, snow amounts will generally be less than an inch. There is a bit of a concern for some light freezing drizzle that has developed. This potential is the result of the lack of moisture, and more so when we lose the mid level moisture at the end of the event down south. This doesn't look like a long duration event, but could be just enough to cause some minor impacts around daybreak Saturday morning. Colder air comes in by mid Saturday morning, and helps to saturate the DGZ once again with some lingering lake effect snow showers behind the front as 850 mb temps drop down into the negative mid teens once again.

The scattered lake effect snow showers earlier Saturday will taper off late Saturday as a weak sfc ridge traverses the area in the wake of the cold front. This break in the snow showers will be short in duration, and they will then increase in coverage later Saturday night as the next short wave dives SW of the area out of the Plains. It will be close enough, and combined with the lake aggregate troughing will produce some light snow through Sunday morning. The snow accumulations with this event are expected to be lighter with the best forcing staying south, and not a good low level flow for any kind of organized lake effect.

A better area of ridging will build over the area later Sunday, and linger through the daylight hours on Monday.

- Good potential for snow accumulations next Tuesday and Wednesday

The models and their ensembles continue to advertise a couple of more potent systems that are becoming more likely to bring more impacts to the area than the systems through Sunday.

The upper air pattern continues to look like it will transition from this more broad long wave trough with the flow from the WNW, to more amplified and flow more from the NW. This change occurs as the ridge out west and over the eastern Pacific builds. This change will help to spin the next couple short waves a bit better, and pack more of a punch for the area.

The first one arrives early Tuesday morning before daybreak. The associated sfc low will be north of the area and a solid low level flow from the SW. The air ahead of this system will be a bit colder, and provide for better lake enhancement. Plenty of deep layer forcing will be coming through the heart of the forecast area with a direct hit by the short wave. The NW section of the area will see the best accumulations with the boost from the lake, and amounts tapering off moving away from that area.

The last short wave in the series through next Thursday will come later Tuesday night and into Wednesday. This wave will be diving a little further south than the Mon night wave. However, the thermal pattern is a bit warmer even with the low further south. Depending on where the low tracks, there will be a band of snow accumulations just north of it. Near and just south of the low, areas are likely to see a mixture of rain and snow with the lower levels sufficiently warm enough to melt some of the precipitation before it reaches the ground. Plenty of time to monitor the exact low track and snow and mixed precipitation types.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 650 AM EST Fri Dec 5 2025

Latest satellite imagery shows a solid bank of clouds north of a line from Saugatuck to Saginaw Bay as of 1130z this morning. The line is holding steady for now, giving KMKG a mainly VFR ceiling. There could be some MVFR clouds that occasionally float through this morning. They will come in and be dominant this afternoon. The entire deck of clouds will spread across the area today. Most sites away from KMKG should stay VFR all day long. Winds from the SW will be a bit gusty during the daylight hours.

We will see the lower clouds finally spread across the rest of the terminals this evening as snow starts to break out from west to east. We could see some low end MVFR to higher IFR develop with the snow. In addition, most of the sites have a chance for some fzdz late tonight after most of the precipitation moves out, but some shallow lingering moisture stays around. Not entirely confident on this, so went prob30 for now. Also, we will see some low level wind shear with a core wind of around 45 knots at 2k ft, and sfc winds much lighter and backed a bit.

MARINE

Issued at 332 AM EST Fri Dec 5 2025

No changes needed at this time to the current set of marine headlines. Big Sable observation has been at Gales for the last hour or so, verifying the Gale Warning. It continues to look like the other marine zones will stay just below Gales, but can not rule out a few gusts down to Whitehall.

After this current Gale event up north, it looks like we may avoid Gales until around Tuesday.

GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EST Saturday for LMZ844>848. Gale Warning until 10 AM EST this morning for LMZ849.