The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning starting Monday morning through Tuesday morning for Montcalm, Gratiot, Ionia, Clinton, Barry, Eaton and Ingham Counties. The Winter Storm Warning includes the cities of Lansing, St. Johns and Charlotte. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued starting Monday morning through early Tuesday morning for Calhoun and Jackson Counties. The cities of Jackson and Battle Creek are in the Advisory area. A Freezing Rain Advisory has been issued for Branch and Hillsdale Counties Monday morning through Monday evening. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Shiawassee and Livingston Counties Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning.
A storm system races towards the Great Lakes Monday. The storm brings strong winds and a lot of moisture. Aloft temperatures will be warm enough for rain, but down at the surface an East wind will pump cold air into Mid-Michigan. This is the perfect set-up for freezing rain. The freezing rain and sleet will develop from south to north during the day. The most likely time for freezing rain in Mid-Michigan is between noon to midnight Monday. Computer models are saying ice accumulations could be around in the tenth to quarter inch range in Mid-Michigan. Heavier amounts are possible north and west of Lansing. Lesser amounts are expected south and east of Jackson. The ice teamed up with strong wind gusts near 45 MPH will more than likely cause some power outages.
The Monday morning commute should be dry. Late Monday morning is when the freezing rain and sleet begin in southwest Michigan and spread to the north. The precipitation should quickly transition over to just freezing rain and it will slowly spread across all of Mid-Michigan. The Monday afternoon commute could be quite slippery with ice building up on roadways. The freezing rain continues Monday evening before temperatures slowly climb above freezing overnight. Tuesday we are back to scattered rain showers and high temperatures near 40.
