textproduct: Grand Rapids

KEY MESSAGES

- Snow showers this evening

- Fair Tuesday then rain chances return

DISCUSSION

Issued at 251 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026

- Snow showers this evening

Shortwave trough and sfc cold front moving through this afternoon and evening with enough surace-based instability to bring diurnally enhanced rain,graupel, snow showers through early evening. Then the really cold air moves in with 850mb temps dropping to -15C tonight as the thermal trough swings through. This will be cold enough to provide some lake-enhancement with snow showers and flurries persisting overnight before surface ridging builds in and subsidence and drying bring clearing by Tuesday morning.

- Fair Tuesday then rain chances return

Fair and cold weather into Wednesday morning, then the surface high moves east and we go back to return flow of warmer but increasingly moister air. A baroclinic zone and weak front is across Lower Michigan by early Thursday with rain diminishing by late Thursday as the front dags south and washes out. Unsettled weather expected into early next week with potential for significant rain and convection as Plains cyclogenesis moves northeast across the Great Lakes, with the details uncertain on specific timing and tracks of the surface lows.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 132 AM EDT Tue Apr 7 2026

We are expecting VFR conditions to dominate during this forecast period. All of the terminals are starting with clear skies out of the gate. There are some lower clouds based around 3-4k ft agl across Northern Lower. These are lake effect clouds, and will try to spread southward. Some of them will make it, but will also dissipate a bit losing the source of Lake Superior as winds go from the NNE. Will go mainly sct clouds in the forecast, but there could be some times of broken. This should not be a big deal with VFR expected either way.

Otherwise winds will diminish and go light this evening and overnight with clear skies by then.

MARINE

Issued at 251 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026

No changes to the SCA. Some gales of 35 knots are possible this evening north of Whitehall, Winds and waves will quickly decrease on Tuesday morning as high pressure builds in then pick up again from the south or southwest on Wednesday as the high moves east,

HYDROLOGY

Issued at 251 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026

No significant rain is expected until Wednesday night and Thursday when one quarter to half an inch is forecast across the Muskegon Basin with lesser amounts to the south across the Grand and Kalamazoo river basins. Until then, crests will continue moving downstream across the rivers.

GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 8 AM EDT this morning for LMZ844>849. Gale Watch from Wednesday morning through late Wednesday night for LMZ846>849.