Temperatures in Grand Rapids the first two days of Memorial weekend were downright tolerable, skyrocketing to levels that were 6 degrees warmer than was in the forecast in some cases on Saturday. The warm up continued into Sunday, when it was warmer than many anticipated as well, despite a splash of rain. Accuweather pulled in the top forecast for the western Michigan town.
Actuals: Saturday, High 78, Low 40
Sunday – Trace of precip, High 73, Low 53
Here we go again! Another day, another road trip, however this will be a little bit longer than our day trips the past couple of times. This drive will take 2 days, covering 889 miles at a pace of about 60.2mph. The first day will take the full 8 hours and be over after 481 miles of driving. Let’s hit the road once again!
A cold front is morning through Michigan today, but by the time we head out tomorrow morning, things will be much clearer. Given that there will be a fairly vigorous flow off of Lake Michigan, most of the UP will see some clouds that will begin to break apart shortly after noon. Western Ohio shouldn’t provide us with many challenges, but around the time we reach Columbus, we will intersect with the back edge of the cold front. The heavy convection will remain east of us on Saturday, but we can still expect rain between the capitals of Ohio and West Virginia. Charleston is the destination for the day.
The front will keep moving east while we sleep and remain stationary. In fact, it is likely that the front will be nearly offshore by the time we even start our day on Sunday. The drive through West Virginia and Original Virginia will sunny and pleasant, and so too will it be in North Carolina. We will arrive in Greenville to enjoy a mostly sunny sky and comfortable temperatures.
Road tripping once again. This time, we are backing up and headed to Grand Rapids on a one day trek covering 624 miles. We will be able to do this at a pace of 59.7mph, which isn’t all that quick. Fortunately, they drive fast in Michigan and we should be able to make up time. Let’s make our way to beautiful western Michigan, shall we
The early part of our dry will be fairly cloud with chances for light rain, from Blacksburg through West Virginia and southern Ohio. Temperatures will still feel nice with some high dew points leading to a warm sensation even if it is dready and cloudy out. This is what happened the past couple of days in Minnesota and it was strange. A cold front will take advantage of the juicy dew points and touch off some heavy thunderstorms in southern Michigan and northwestern Ohio. We will intersect the front right as it is at its strongest, somewhere between Findlay, Ohio and Ann Arbor, Michigan. There will be a few showers northwest of Ann Arbor, but by Lansing, and then west to Grand Rapids, we should see some clearer, cooler conditions.
In Grand Rapids, we were expecting a few bouts with precipitation, but for the most part, the heavy rain skirted the western Michigan city during the forecast period. On Sunday, there was a trace of light rain with some persistent overcast skies, even overnight Saturday into Sunday that kept temperatures from dropping below 53 degrees. That’s fairly warm, especially when you consider that forecast lows were in the mid 40s. When everything else was taken into account, we can see that the top forecast belonged Weatherbug who didn’t forecast rain and had the best temperature prognostications.
Actuals: Sunday – Trace of rain, High 64, Low 53
Monday – High 73, Low 47
We’re off to the LP today. I don’t know if we have ever been to Grand Rapids for a forecast before, so this is clearly big time stuff.
At 1153AM, ET, Grand Rapids was reporting a temperature of 60 degrees with clear skies. Lower Michigan is under high pressure which is allowing for an infusion of spring and making for a pleasant beginning to the weekend.
There is a weak mid-layer disturbance moving through the Tennessee Valley, and is expected to continue to follow the Ohio River towards the mid Atlantic through the next two days. Lower Michigan won’t take a direct blow from this system, but moisture wrapping around the circulation will mean overcast skies and some rain through most of the day on Sunday. Generally, the pattern is for deeper systems to run through Canada, and that’s certainly the case for the next two days. A stronger system moving into Hudson Bay is dangling a cold front through the Great Lakes. There is a shot that at some rain again on Monday evening as the front moves into Grand Rapids, but there won’t be much in terms of intensity. It will be just enough to create some interruptions for outdoor barbecues.
Tomorrow – Cloudy with rain likely, High 68, Low 46
Monday – Clearing and warmer, though with some scattered showers late, High 74, Low 48
TWC: Tomorrow – PM Showers High 63, Low 46
Monday – Partly Cloudy High 67, Low 49
AW: Tomorrow – Times of clouds and sun High 68, Low 47
Monday – Times of sun and clouds High 74, Low 50
NWS: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, High 65, Low 47
Monday – Mostly sunny (showers after 8pm), High 71, Low 50
WB: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain showers High 65, Low 47
Monday – Mostly sunny. High 71, Low 50
Looks good right now, and I assume most residents of Grand Rapids would be happy if they just get rain instead of snow.
Even though school is starting this week for most of the country, we are taking a Florida vacation. It will be two days from Grand Rapids to Panama City, covering 1049 miles. We will be moving at a pace of 61.9mph. This means our first day will be a little but shorter than our second, at 495 miles covered. Let’s hit the beach one last time before autumn really sets in.
There s a cold front heading for Grand Rapids ushering in a very abrupt seasonal change. Some thunderstorms are already popping up over Wisconsin and will move into the LP by midday tomorrow, which means nothing, except that we are getting out of town just in time. We should stay ahead of the weather through most of the day. By the time we reach Kentucky, we may be left to contend with a few showers left over from Isaac, but that isn’t set in stone. The most likely result will be some increased clouds around Mammoth Caves and Park City, Kentucky, our destination for Wednesday night.
Thursday will be, in a word, unsettled. We will experience the less than stable weather weather initially as we drive through Tennessee, where clouds and a few showers will mark our southbound journey. A weak area of low pressure south of our destination in Panama City is going to draw energy away from northern Alabama, so we will have a window without the threat for rain from Huntsville to Montgomery, but that weak little low is going to have something else in store for us for the last couple hours of our trip. Scattered thunderstorms, likely with heavy, tropical downpours, will be possible as we make our way through southeastern Alabama and eventually to Panama City. Too bad we are scheduled to skip town already tomorrow, because our arrival is going to be decidedly unfavorable for a trip to the beach.