First Lightning Next Week?

Posted: Mar 4, 2021 / 09:47 PM EST / Updated: Mar 4, 2021 / 10:48 PM EST

Many of us haven’t seen a flash of lightning nor heard a clap of thunder since the first half of last November. However, after a lengthy dry spell, we could see the season’s first thundershower next week. The Storm Prediction Center says: “A series of upper shortwave impulses will eject northeast across the Plains to the Great Lakes from late Tuesday into Day 8/Thursday, maintaining southerly return flow over the southern Plains to the lower MS Valley. This could result in multiple days of increasing severe potential toward the end of the forecast period for portions of the central/southern Plains to the Middle/Lower MS Valley.”

While Tuesday will likely still be dry in West Michigan and the bulk of the thunderstorms will probably be south of Chicago, there is a chance (only a chance) that a few of these storms will make it into West Michigan.

This is the precipitation forecast from the Climate Prediction Center for Friday the 5th through Tuesday the 9th. They are predicting 5 more dry days before a chance of rain arrives for either later Tuesday night or Wednesday. Rain is forecast from Florida to SE Texas and northwest into Kansas and Colorado. Heavy rain and mountain snow should continue in the West with showers possible down to San Diego. Significant snow is likely in the Northern Rockies.

Here’s forecast high temps. from the NWS for Friday. Look at the 60s up into Montana and N. Dakota. It’s chilly in the Northeast with near average temps. around 40° in West Michigan. Some of that warm air from the Plains gets into West Michigan early next week.

Here’s high temperatures for Alaska on Friday. It’s not quite as cold as it was in February. The average temperature in Utqiagvik, Alaska was -19.4°. Fairbanks had an average monthly temperature of -9.2° and that was 7.9° colder than average. Anchorage was 6° colder than average in February.

Here in West Michigan, the next few days will bring high temperatures in the low 40s, pretty close to average for the first week of March…then we soar into the 50s from Monday – Thursday of next week. Our next significant chance of rain will be either Tue. night or Wed.

This was shortly after sunset Thu. evening at South Haven. The sunrise for this Friday 3/5 will be at 7:12 am and the sunset at 6:36 pm. Today (Fri.) is the first day our average high temperature hits 40°.

Also: Pretty winter pics. from the Chicago Botanic Garden.