textproduct: Grand Rapids

KEY MESSAGES

- Dry and mild through the weekend

- Chance of rain late Tuesday/Wednesday

DISCUSSION

Issued at 126 PM EDT Thu Sep 24 2026

- Dry and mild through the weekend

The blocking ridge over Ontario/Quebec continues to dominate our weather and will through the weekend. Latest visible loop shows clear skies over much of the cwa with some diurnal co over the southern row...around the periphery of the Ohio Valley low. We aren't going to see much change for several more days as the blocking pattern remains in place. Highs from the mid 60s to lower 70s Friday will gradually warm to highs in the lower to mid 70s by Monday. Lows in the mid to upper 40s are expected each day.

- Chance of rain late Tuesday/Wednesday

The GFS has taken a turn toward the ECMWF late Tuesday and Wednesday and now shows a northern stream wave moving across the upper Midwest and knocking down the ridge. Concurrently, a southern stream wave helps to develop a surface low in the southern Plains. This result is that the cold front pushed across the state by the northern wave gets hung up over the cwa late Tuesday into Wednesday by the developing Plains low. This frontal boundary then becomes quasi stationary and a focus for shower development. Thus, confidence is fairly high that we'll see precipitation late Tuesday into Wednesday that may linger into Thursday. ECMWF and GFS ensembles also show this. At this point, the thunder threat looks low given weak instability.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 140 PM EDT Thu Sep 24 2026

Mostly VFR will continue to dominate the weather pattern through the TAF period. The sole caveat is a band of clouds through the southeast which is bringing low strato cu to BTL and JXN. JXN it remains VFR but could drop to MVFR, as it has at BLT. These clouds will continue to move to the southeast as the system treks that way through the afternoon and evening. Winds out of the east at 10 to 15 gusting to 20 will continue through the rest of the day and subsiding this evening.

MARINE

Issued at 126 PM EDT Thu Sep 24 2026

A high pressure ridge over the Great Lakes will continue to supply the region with an easterly wind flow. That will push the highest waves off shore. Given the light pressure gradient, even the waves at the 5 mile point off shore will be at or below 3 feet. These conditions will persist through the weekend.

GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MI...None. MARINE...None.