000
FXUS63 KGRR 010828
AFDGRR

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
328 AM EST SUN MAR 1 2015

LATEST UPDATE...
SYNOPSIS/SHORT TERM/LONG TERM

.SYNOPSIS...
ISSUED AT 328 AM EST SUN MAR 1 2015

LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO WIND DOWN TODAY AS A WAVE OF LOW
PRESSURE MOVES EAST. ANOTHER STORM WILL HEAD TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN
AND BRING A MIX OF SNOW SLEET FREEZING RAIN AND PERHAPS RAIN
TUESDAY...BUT SHOULD BE DONE BY LATE TUESDAY. ANOTHER SHOT OF ARCTIC
AIR WILL FOLLOW AND HIGHS WILL REMAIN IN THE TEENS THURSDAY BUT WILL
WARM INTO THE MID 30S BY NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)
ISSUED AT 328 AM EST SUN MAR 1 2015

FORECAST CONCERNS THIS MORNING DEAL WITH THE ONGOING LIGHT SNOW AND
THE MIXED PCPN EVENT TUESDAY. TWEAKED PCPN TYPE GRIDS TUESDAY AND
POPS TODAY...OTHERWISE MUCH OF THE FORECAST WAS UNCHANGED.

REGIONAL RADAR SHOWS LIGHT SNOW BEGINNING TO WIND DOWN ACROSS LOWER
MICHIGAN. THE SYNOPTIC SNOW SOUTH M-46 WILL LIKELY DIMINISH BEFORE
THE SW LAKE EFFECT SNOW ONGOING NORTH OF MKG...BUT EVEN THAT WILL
DIMINISH LATE THIS MORNING OR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. ANY ACCUMS WILL
BE A HALF INCH OR LESS.

THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE EARLY TUESDAY...PERHAPS LATE MONDAY
NIGHT...AND BRING A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN/SLEET/SNOW/RAIN. THIS
SYSTEM IS A FAIRLY DYNAMICAL ONE AND PROGD TO PUSH A 70KT LLJ ACROSS
OHIO TUESDAY AND DRAWING ABUNDANT MOISTURE NORTHWARD. ISENTROPIC
LIFT IS VERY IMPRESSIVE ON THE 290K SFC WITH 40-50KTS PERPENDICULAR
TO THE PRESSURE SFCS. THIS WILL RESULT IN RAPID SATURATION EARLY
TUESDAY AND QUICK PCPN DEVELOPMENT. GIVEN THE COLD AIR IN PLACE ALL
OF THE PCPN WILL BEGIN AS SNOW. HOWEVER AS THE MID LEVELS
WARM...WE/LL SEE A CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. MUCH OF
THE FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR SOUTH OF I-94. BASICALLY NORTH OF M-46
ALL OF THE PCPN WILL REMAIN AS SNOW. THE ECMWF AND GFS THERMAL
PROFILES WERE THE MOST SIMILAR WITH THE NAM SHOWING A BIT MORE
PRONOUNCED WARMING AT H85 LATE TUESDAY MORNING. IF THE NAM IS
CORRECT WE COULD SEE A BIT MORE FREEZING RAIN CREEP UP TOWARD I-96.
THE DRY SLOT QUICKLY WORKS IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST TUESDAY MID
AFTERNOON SO PCPN WILL EITHER END QUICKLY OR TURN TO
DRIZZLE/FREEZING DRIZZLE.

OVERALL...SNOW POTENTIAL LOOKS TO BE NEAR 3-4 INCHES FROM I-96
NORTHWARD WITH AN INCH OR TWO SOUTH OF THAT. ICE POTENTIAL LOOKS
LESS THAN A TENTH...BUT STILL ENOUGH TO CAUSE SOME TRAVEL ISSUES.
WHERE 2M TEMPERATURES DO WARM ABOVE FREEZING OVER THE SRN
CWA...SECONDARY ROADS THAT ARE STILL VERY COLD WILL REMAIN BELOW
FREEZING AND EXACERBATE THE FREEZING RAIN POTENTIAL.

.LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)
ISSUED AT 328 AM EST SUN MAR 1 2015

ANY LINGERING PRECIPITATION TUESDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE VERY LIGHT AS
THE SYSTEM RACES AWAY QUICKLY TO THE NORTHEAST AND THE DEEP MOISTURE
DEPARTS. BREEZY WEST WINDS WILL SEND IN COLDER AIR WITH TEMPERATURES
FALLING INTO THE TEENS/LOWER 20S BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

YET ANOTHER ROUND OF BITTER COLD ARCTIC AIR IS IN STORE FOR
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS H8 AIR AROUND -24C VISITS THE STATE.
SCATTERED LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS ARE A GOOD BET... PARTICULARLY ON
WEDNESDAY BEFORE SURFACE RIDGING BUILDS IN. TYPICALLY AS WE MOVE
INTO MARCH THE CHARACTER OF LAKE EFFECT IN THE DAYLIGHT HOURS IS
OPEN CELLULAR COVERING MUCH OF THE AREA RATHER THAN FOCUSED JUST
ALONG THE LAKESHORE. WOULD THEREFORE NOT EXPECT ANY SIGNIFICANT SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS ALTHOUGH SOME BRIEFLY INTENSE SNOW SHOWERS ARE
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA.

ARCTIC AIR MASS/NRN STREAM LIFTS OUT LATE IN THE WEEK. A FLATTER
FLOW ALOFT AND SOUTHWEST LOW LEVEL FLOW LEADS TO MODERATING
TEMPERATURES FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY HOWEVER STILL A BIT BELOW
NORMAL. THE NORMAL HIGHS FOR NEXT WEEKEND ARE AROUND 40.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT)
ISSUED AT 1208 AM EST SUN MAR 1 2015

ALREADY SEEING IFR VSBYS PUSHING NORTH INTO SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN
ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF LIGHT SNOW. EXPECT IFR CONDITIONS
PREDOMINANTLY ALONG THE SOUTHERN TERMINALS ALONG I-94:
AZO...BTL...JXN. LAN SHOULD FOLLOW SHORTLY AFTER AS THE SNOW
SPREADS NORTHEAST. KEPT GRR AND MKG JUST ABOVE IFR BUT COULD
CERTAINLY SEE VSBYS BRIEFLY DROPPING BELOW 3SM WITH SOME BURSTS OF
SNOW.

NEXT CONCERN IS HOW QUICKLY WE TRANSITION FROM IFR TO MVFR AND
WILL WE KEEP FUEL ALT CIGS. PROBABLY WILL STAY BELOW 2000FT AT
MKG INTO THE AFTERNOON WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST OFF
THE LAKE. IT IS A BIT LESS CERTAIN AT THE OTHER TERMINALS.

OVERALL...LIMITED CERTAINTY WITH THIS FORECAST.


&&

.HYDROLOGY...
ISSUED AT 1132 AM EST SAT FEB 28 2015

CONDITIONS ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS REMAIN STABLE. THIS IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE THROUGH AT LEAST THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE PATTERN WILL BECOME MORE ACTIVE AS WE GET INTO
THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. THE EXTREME
COLD THAT HAS BEEN ALL TOO STUBBORN WILL BEGIN TO RELEASE ITS GRIP
ON THE REGION. AS A RESULT...GRADUALLY WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL
MAKE THEIR WAY IN THROUGH TUESDAY. WHILE THERE IS SOME QUESTION TO
THE EXTENT OF THE WARMTH IT IS STILL NOT ANTICIPATED TO CREATE
MANY ISSUES AS COLD AIR QUICKLY MOVES BACK IN DURING THE MIDDLE
OF THE WEEK. TOTAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS SHOULD HOVER AROUND A
HALF INCH THROUGH THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS WITH MOST OF THIS COMING
IN THE TUESDAY SYSTEM. RIVERS WILL BE MONITORED THROUGH THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS IN THAT CASE THAT ANY VARIABILITY IS SENSED.

&&

.GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MI...NONE.
LM...NONE.
&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...04
SHORT TERM...04
LONG TERM...MEADE
AVIATION...TJT
HYDROLOGY...JAM