TRAVERSE CITY — A warm-up is expected to make its way to the Grand Traverse region after the recent stretch of bone-chilling temperatures, but gusty winds and more snow are coming along for the ride.
National Weather Service Gaylord office meteorologists have issued a Winter Storm Warning for Benzie and Leelanau counties, in effect from this morning into early Thursday.
The alert overlaps with the Cold Weather Advisory in place across the entire five-county area until about noon today.
Benzie and Leelanau are expected to receive 5 to 9 inches of snowfall during the course of the storm, with other parts of the area looking at 1 to 4 inches from today into Thursday.
High temperatures should hit around 20 degrees across the region today — roughly 20 degrees warmer than Tuesday, but area residents likely won’t feel much relief when they head outside.
“It’s still going to feel cold because we don’t let go of some of those strong wind gusts,” said Meteorologist Eleanor Dhuyvetter.
The forecast calls for wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph today, making for subzero wind chills.
Expect mostly cloudy skies with occasional scattered snow showers across the region from Thursday through the end of the weekend.
During that timeframe, high temperatures will run from the upper teens to upper 20s, with nightly lows around 10 degrees and into the teens.
NOTES
– Great Lakes water temperatures “still continue to be warmer than average, however we are seeing a pretty decent jump in ice coverage,” Dhuyvetter said Tuesday. “With these recent shots of colder air … we’re really going to see some of this spike.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Great Lakes average ice cover at about 17% as of Monday.
– Small snowflakes fell during the recent cold snap, but today should bring a change in size and consistency. Larger snowflakes allow for “quicker accumulations.”
– Local meteorologists are seeing hints of ice damming beginning on some northern Michigan rivers.
“We’re keeping an eye on it,” Dhuyvetter said.