Michigan — The crisp air across West Michigan this morning carries a quiet warning — a winter tease is coming. After a calm and partly sunny weekend, the region will see a quick shift toward colder, wetter weather as the Thanksgiving travel week begins.
Temperatures will climb into the upper 40s Sunday before clouds build and rain showers arrive late Monday into Tuesday. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids expects a period of steady rain, followed by a potential rain-to-snow changeover Wednesday, especially north and inland from Lake Michigan. While accumulation looks light, roads could turn slick as colder air moves in and temperatures hover near freezing.
Travelers planning early Thanksgiving departures Monday or Tuesday should prepare for wet, windy conditions, particularly along I-96 and U.S. 131. The early-week system will pull colder air behind it, dropping highs from the 50s Monday to the low 40s Wednesday — and possibly the 30s by Thanksgiving morning.
Long-range models hint that this system marks the start of a larger pattern shift, with below-normal temperatures spreading across the Midwest and East through late November. Some areas north of Grand Rapids could even see light accumulating snow around Thanksgiving weekend as a new cold front sweeps through.
Five-Day Outlook (Grand Rapids, MI):
- Today: Increasing clouds, high 45°F.
- Sunday: Sunny, high 48°F.
- Monday: Rain develops, high 53°F.
- Tuesday: Showers, high 54°F.
- Wednesday: Rain changing to snow, high 42°F.
