Lowell Expected to Face Blizzard-Like Conditions Friday and Saturday
National Weather Service - Grand Rapids issued graphic regarding Friday and Saturday’s Storm.
Justin Scott | Weather
Lowellians can expect at least a rough 36 hours of winter to come in starting on Friday. Lowell Area Schools have already closed for the day tomorrow and all athletic and school events canceled for Friday and Saturday. This includes the Lowell Wrestling team who was supposed to compete in Novi at the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals and the Lowell Gymnastics team’s home invitational.
Lowell can expect between 8-14 inches of snow with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour over the course of about 36 hours with the potential for even more lake effect snow behind the system.
Snowfall will begin around 10:00am on Friday. Widespread power outages are certainly possible given the amount of snow and wind the system will bring in so be prepared. The state of Michigan recommends at least three gallons of water per person, a three day supply of food, medications, flashlights, first aid kits, warm clothing and blankets, and to charge electronic devices as much as possible prior to the storm coming in.
Temperatures over the course of both Friday at Saturday will peak in the low 30’s but dip into the 20’s, before diving into the low teens to single digits next week, good news for the Lowell High School ski team, bad news if you don’t like cold temperatures. A winter storm warning has been issued for Kent and Ionia County starting at 10am on Friday.
From the National Weather Service:
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 7 PM EST SATURDAY
* WHAT...Heavy snow and high winds expected. Total snow
accumulations of 8 to 14 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50
mph.
* WHERE...Portions of central, south central, southwest and west
central Michigan.
* WHEN...From 10 AM Friday to 7 PM EST Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Travel could become very difficult and perhaps
impossible by Friday night. Blowing snow may significantly
reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the
Friday evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree
branches and cause power outages.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Near blizzard conditions are possible.
Much of this weather information was put together by Joel Fritsma of the Michigan Storm Chasers, who we recently featured in one of our podcasts!
