Michigan winter storm forecast: How much snow to expect across the state

A winter storm is expected to bring several inches of snow to most of Michigan this weekend.

Winter storm watch alerts were issued Thursday for most of the state, outside of the Metro Detroit region. But Metro Detroit will also see measurable snow.

Some areas of Michigan could see a foot of snow once the storm wraps up on Saturday.

Here’s the snow forecast for each Michigan region:

Snow in Metro Detroit

Here’s the latest from 4Warn Weather’s Ashlee Baracy: The onset of the snowfall across Metro Detroit will be mid-afternoon on Friday. Precipitation will initially fall as snow, with rates as high as 1 inch per hour. Then, on Friday evening, the snow will change over to rain for portions of Metro Detroit and areas south as a brief pocket of warm air pushes in after sunset.

This rainy window appears to be limited, but it’s worth noting that there is still some uncertainty about how the rain/snow line will progress northward. Where that line falls and progresses will have a significant impact on snow totals in Metro Detroit.

We’ll be fine-tuning the forecast over the next 24-36 hours, as we get a better grasp of that brief pocket of warm air Friday night. With this said, it still is probable that Metro Detroit could receive 3-6 inches of snowfall as more snow builds in before sunrise on Saturday. (Areas closer to Monroe should see lesser amounts of snow because they’ll get a bit more rain.)

Northwest communities are more likely to see 6-8 inches of snow by Saturday, and the northern parts of the Thumb could be upward of 8 inches.

—> Read her full forecast here

Snow in West Michigan

Here’s the latest from NWS in Grand Rapids: Heavy snow and strong winds are expected for portions of Michigan starting Friday morning and continuing into Saturday.

Main concerns are wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph paired with heavy snow causing blowing and drifting snow, whiteout conditions, power outages, and hazardous travel conditions.

Most accumulations are during Friday afternoon and night with impacts to the evening commute likely.

Snow in Northern Lower Michigan

Here’s the latest from NWS in Gaylord: A high impact winter storm is expected Friday afternoon into Saturday across Michigan.

Given the high potential for accumulations of 12″ for some and wind gusts of 35-50+ mph, blizzard conditions will be possible across portions of northern Michigan Friday evening and Friday night.

Potential significant blowing and drifting snow and near-zero visibilities at times may lead to dangerous travel conditions.

Snow in Michigan Upper Peninsula

Here’s the latest from NWS in Marquette: Another winter storm is tracking into the Great Lakes region on Friday and will bring accumulating heavy wet snow to Upper Michigan through Saturday.

Strong northeast winds develop Friday night and gradually become northwesterly by Saturday night resulting in poor visibility and blowing snow.

The storm also will bring in much colder temperatures with dangerous wind chills and lake effect snow as the storm pulls away Saturday night and lasting through the weekend.