Winter storm watch to be issued for portions of Great Lakes

[PurdueWx80]

No text for the watch other than a mention in Grand Rapids' updated AFD - I expect it would be for portions of far northern/northeastern IN, much of the southern and eastern portions of lower Michigan, and eventually for a bit of Ohio (near Cleveland). This is almost UNREAL considering that it is late April - the sun and warm ground will work against major accumulations, but a long-duration event, and abnormally cold air coming down from the pole, together with an influx of Gulf and Atlantic moisture, should make for a major winter-like storm to the north and west of the surface low track. Some models even show the upper system deepening to 522 dm down in the Lakes/Ohio Valley - so basically a mini-polar vortex is going to develop over eastern North America very far south for this time of year. I'll post the text once it is issued. For now, here's the new AFD from GRR:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
145 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2005

.UPDATED...

AFTER A CONFERENCE CALL WITH DTX...IWX...APX AND HPC WE HAVE DECIDED
TO ISSUE A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY (6 PM TO
6 PM) FOR 5 TO 8 INCHES FROM US-131 EAST. MORE DETAILS SOON.

&&

.GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE
ENTIRE NEAR SHORE.

SOON TO BE ISSUED WINTER STORM WATCH 6P SAT TO 6 PM SUN LAKE TO
KALAMAZOO COUNTIES EASTWARD.

[Jupiter]

I just checked my forecast and found this..Don't they know it's the end of April?

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
428 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2005

...MAJOR WINTER STORM HEADED FOR NORTHERN MICHIGAN...
.A DEEPENING STORM SYSTEM WILL SWING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN...THEN
EASTERN GREAT LAKES TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE
STRONG...GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND WILL DRAW UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR INTO
NORTHERN MICHIGAN...SETTING THE STAGE FOR A SIGNIFICANT LATE SEASON
SNOWSTORM ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

HEAVY WET SNOW DRIVEN BY STRONG WINDS MAY BRING DOWN TREE LIMBS AND
POWER LINES...POSSIBLY LEADING TO POWER OUTAGES THIS WEEKEND.

MIZ016-017-019-021-026-027-032-033-231000-
ANTRIM-CHARLEVOIX-CHEBOYGAN-EMMET-GRAND TRAVERSE-KALKASKA-MISSAUKEE-
WEXFORD-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CADILLAC...CHARLEVOIX...CHEBOYGAN...
KALKASKA...LAKE CITY...MANCELONA...PELLSTON...TRAVERSE CITY
428 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2005

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY EVENING TO SUNDAY
EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GAYLORD HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH.

EXPECT OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW...DRIVEN BY GUSTY NORTH WINDS...BY
SATURDAY MORNING. DUE TO THE WARM GROUND AND AIR TEMPERATURES ABOVE
FREEZING...MOST OF THE SNOW WILL MELT THROUGH THE DAYLIGHT HOURS
SATURDAY. HOWEVER...ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL COMMENCE SATURDAY
NIGHT...AND BY SUNDAY EVENING STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATION OF HEAVY WET
SNOW COULD EXCEED 8 INCHES ACROSS THE WATCH AREA.

REMEMBER...A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MAY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT
TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

$$

ROWLEY


Southeastern Michigan is under a watch too.