Michigan Meteorologists Are All Starting to Say the Same Thing About Potential mid-January Heavy Snowfall

The winter of 2023-2024 has been very quiet and leading meteorologists are not seeing much chance for significant lake effect snow. How about system snow?

There's a major storm system forecast to sweep across the country. What might that mean for Michigan? The state's leading meteorologists are starting to put a picture into place.

If you're a winter sports enthusiast, this may just be the moment you've been waiting for that winter hasn't yet quite given you.

January 9-10 Snowfall Potential Forecast for Michigan

Storm chaser Dan Harvell has a map that puts significant snowfall not at the lakeshore but inland through much of mid-Michigan.

While the impact is still several days out pay special attention to the swath that crosses the state from, say, South Bend, Indiana (8.1 inches) through Kalamazoo (9.9 inches), Mount Pleasant (10.1 Inches) through to Alpena (9.9 inches). Inland from Alpena around Montmorency County, the snow may have the most impact.

Grand Rapids sees a slightly lower forecasted total at 6.9 inches and lesser impacts in south central Michigan (3.6 in Jackson) and the northwest lakeshore (3.8 at Ludington).

The National Weather Service's long range outlook puts the lower 2/3 of Michigan's Lower Peninsula at 'moderate risk' for heavy snowfall from January 9-11.

As they always do, forecast certainty will firm up as we get closer to the potential storm. Know that for now our dry, quiet winter may get a jolt in about a week.