Wed. 9 am update – There’s a combination of rain and wet snow across the area. Wet snow was reported at both Grand Rapids (airport) and Ionia (first flakes of the year). Precipitation amounts were higher south late last night with 0.57″ at Battle Creek and 0.51″ at Kalamazoo. Temperatures are only in the mid-upper 30s – roads wet. We’ll stay in the upper 30s to low 40s today. It’s a relatively dark day with a significant layer of clouds. The latest sunrises of the year occur this week before the time change, so it’s dark when most kids are waiting for the school bus.
The NAM model gives G.R. a high temp. of 41° tomorrow (Thu.) and the GFS has 44°. The GFS has the wind up to 19 mph at 8 pm tomorrow and the NAM is up to 22 mph. Both models have a 100% chance of rain tomorrow. It’ll be cool, breezy and wet. Even if it isn’t raining when the kids start out Thursday evening (and it certainly could be), the sidewalks will be wet – and maybe slippery from the wet leaves. Plan your costume accordingly. Here’s a suggestion:

That’d keep you warm…or go as Santa Claus…it’s warm…bright red, so good visibility…everyone loves Santa, maybe you get extra candy, or ask for an extra piece for Rudolph.
Here’s Grand Rapids radar: |

and regional radar:
and regional radar: |


Look a the temps. for Halloween morning…unseasonably warm in the Southeast with record cold and snow in the Rockies.

Here was the 6-10 day temperature forecast from the Climate Prediction Center. The forecast is working out pretty well. LOTS of cold air over the West and Midwest…all the way to the western Great Lakes. The cold is centered in the Northern Rockies. Florida and the Southeast remains warm.

Here was the 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook from the Climate Prediction Center. More of the same…cool from the West into the Great Lakes and south to Texas with the warmer than average air confined to the Southeast U.S.

The 8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook from CPC gives near normal precipitation to the Great Lakes (that may be underdone – we may be above average here in the Lakes Region – The dry spell continues in the Northwest and West…and lots of rain and storms in the Southern U.S.

The NAEFS model for Oct. 29 – Nov. 4 looks to me to be overdone (especially in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, where it may still be warmer than average…but it has coast-to-coast cold with the only above average areas in the Southeast and over Alaska.
The models are suggesting it’ll be cool for the ghouls. I’m still working on the winter forecast…but I can tell you this…if you’re looking for a relatively warm winter…don’t hold your breath.

Here’s sunset at Grand Haven Monday evening. That line of clouds over the lake built up into a line of showers that moved through the area.

Here’s some peak wind gusts from Monday. The Chicago Water Intake also had a gust to 53 mph. Benton Harbor had 49 mph. There were up to 10,000 Consumers Energy customers without power, scattered all through Lower Michigan. Most of those were due to tree limbs falling on power lines.