Snow lessens, but wind, frigid temperatures will linger in Battle Creek

BATTLE CREEK − Michigan is experiencing weather “pretty similar” to the polar vortex that gripped the state and country with chilling temperatures in late January 2019, Meteorologist Cort Scholten of the National Weather Service's Grand Rapids office said Friday.

“It's just a little bit warmer than it was in 2019, but not by much,” he said. “Although it is windier than it was during that event.”

Battle Creek area temperatures are hovering around 4 degrees. The wind chill was about 15 degrees below zero Friday and Saturday will be about 5 to 10 degrees below zero, he said.

Scholten said with the cold winds any exposed skin will lose heat more quickly and frostbite is a concern for anyone outside with exposed skin for 30 minutes.

Friday's high temperature isn’t expected to surpass the lower teens before dropping into single digits overnight, and Saturday’s high will bounce back into the lower teens, Scholten said.

He said Battle Creek has received the majority of snow it will get during this winter storm, an estimated 2 to 3 inches.

But the blowing and drifting snow is creating some deeper snow drifts, he said.

“Wind gusts between 35, maybe as high as 45 miles an hour, in Lansing and Battle Creek are expected this afternoon and evening, which would really kick up some snow which could cause some whiteout conditions,” he said.

Scholten said conditions are only “very slowly” going to get better Saturday. People may see some lake-effect snow showers stretching toward Battle Creek and Lansing, providing some occasional dustings of new snow.

But the winds are still going to be frequently gusting 30 to 35 mph Saturday and cold temperatures are going to be the norm for the next few days. High temperatures on Christmas Day will only be about 20 degrees, he said.

"So the good news is once we get to about Christmas Sunday, the winds should calm down enough and the lake effect snow should be reduced enough, travel should become a little bit easier,” he said. “There should still be plenty of snow and ice on the roads because it'll be so cold. But at least the new snowfall and the blowing and drifting snow will become less common gradually going into Christmas.”

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Snow lessens, but wind, frigid temps will linger in Battle Creek