Forecast: Strong winds, significant snow likely for holiday weekend in lower Michigan

LANSING − Forecasters were growing more confident that a major winter storm will arrive in lower Michigan ahead of the Christmas holiday, bringing possible heavy snow, white-out conditions and power outages.

A winter storm warning was issued Wednesday afternoon for late Thursday afternoon through early Saturday morning, with the National Weather Service calling for snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches inches and winds gusts of up to 45 mph in west and south-central Michigan.

Those snow totals were a few inches lower than forecasters were expecting earlier this week.

The snow will start on Thursday afternoon, but the biggest impacts will be dangerous road conditions on Friday and Saturday, when temperatures plummet and widespread blowing snow will greatly reduce visibility, the weather service said.

A strong low-pressure system was expected to slide into the Great Lakes region from eastern Colorado and interact with a high-pressure system that formed over the Plains, said Bob Dukesherer, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids. That pressure differential could cause extremely high winds, particularly on Friday and Saturday, he said.

"Blizzard conditions are fully on the table," he said.

The weather service said a mix of rain and snow is likely Thursday, changing to all snow overnight as temperatures fall into the 20s. On Tuesday afternoon, forecasters were calling for 2 to 7 inches of snow by early Friday and another 4 to 8 inches of snow Friday and Friday night.

Wind gusts of 35 mph to 50 mph are possible, reducing visibility and making driving dangerous, the weather service warned. Flight cancellations and power outages are possible, it said.

A few more inches of lake-effect snow are possible on Saturday and Saturday night, forecasters said.

"The most significant snow will be along the lakeshore, but most, if not all, of lower Michigan is in line for accumulating snow and the potential for significant accumulating snow," Dukesherer said.

Michigan State Police urged people to be flexible with their travel plans and be prepared in case they lose power or get stranded.

"Winter weather can be highly unpredictable, and we we encourage residents to start their travel early, if possible, or delay if plans are flexible," Capt. Kevin Sweeney, who commands the agency's emergency management division, said in a news release. "The most important thing residents can do to say safe ... is to be ready ahead of time by equipping their homes and vehicles with basic emergency preparedness items and developing an emergency plan."

Whatever happens with the snow and wind, it's going to be a frigid holiday weekend.

Highs on Saturday and Sunday will be in the teens, with wind chill factors of below zero, forecasters said. The winds and snow showers should subside by Christmas Day, they said.

Highs should be in the low to mid-30s on Wednesday and Thursday.

Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Forecast: Strong winds, significant snow possible for holiday weekend in lower Michigan