Bay County Scanner Feed

(1/25/2019) - The brunt of winter has arrived fashionably late in Mid-Michigan -- and it came back with a vengeance. The first major snow storm of the season is upon us and could drop more than half a foot of snow across most of the Lower Peninsula. The storm system is a clipper system that undergoes what meteorologists call “cyclogenesis.” Just like the name sounds is the “cyclone,” or the storm system, strengthening. The actual track is a little bit uncertain given the fact it’s riding along the edge of cold and even colder air. The final track of the storm will affect who sees the heaviest snowfall. So far the trend through the day Friday is slightly north. We’ll have to wait and see if the northward trend continues or if it stays on its current path. Either way, everyone is expected to see at least a few inches of snow this time. Please note the two different model snowfall predictions so far included in the story. Expect snow to start in the late morning hours Monday. It’ll be a fluffy snow since most temperatures will be in the single digits to middle teens when the flakes fly. Snow will get heavier in the afternoon and continue all the way into Tuesday morning before exiting to the east. The liquid equivalent of the snow is one way to estimate the snowfall total. That says how much water would fall if it came as all rain. That figure helps predict how "fluffy" the snow will be. For this storm, the equivalent of three-quarters of an inch of water will fall. Of course, it will all be frozen and come in the form of snow. Fluffier or more powdery snow tends to increase totals, so Mid-Michigan could see up to 6 to 10 inches. Visibility will be an issue while the snow is falling. Winds gusting to 25 mph will blow snow around, creating some localized whiteout conditions. Wind can also drive down snowfall totals, however. Sometimes higher wind speeds can destroy the nice structure of a snowflake and turn it into more of a dust. With no wind, nice fluffy flakes and the liquid equivalent of the snow would normally be over a foot. But the wind likely will decrease totals significantly from there. The snow is ushering in some of the coldest air in recent memory for the region. Dangerously cold wind chills are likely on Wednesday and Thursday after arctic air wraps around the back side of the system. RELATED: Excruciatingly cold air poised to invade Mid-Michigan next week