Our Chilly Weather Pattern Could Finally be Warming Up

Are you tired of the single digit temperatures at night? And how about those heating bills? It has definitely been a cold winter here in West Michigan, but that chilly weather pattern looks like it is finally going to change!

After almost two months of cold and snow, the extended forecast is looking like February may end up warmer than normal. We just have to wait a few days to start to see that change in the weather pattern.

The 6-10 day Temperature Outlook from the National Weather Service puts us at "Near Normal" temps in the period of February 19th through the 23rd. The northwest portion of the lower peninsula along with the upper peninsula are still leaning towards below normal temperatures in that time frame, but here in West Michigan things look to be warming just a bit.

Where we really start to see the change is in the 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook for February 21st through the 27th. The prediction for that period is to be leaning towards above normal temperatures for all of lower Michigan.

Looking even further out, the Weeks 3-4 Temperature Outlook puts all of Michigan and the Midwest at a 55-60% chance of Above Normal temperatures for the period of February 26th through March 11th. In the month of March in Grand Rapids the daily high temperatures normally increase by 13°. Temps go from from 38° to 51° by the end of the month. Also, daily low temperatures increase by 10°, with average lows starting the month at about 23° and warming to about 33° by month's end.

It could also be a wet time period. The precipitation forecast puts us in the normal range from February 19th-23rd, but we move into the Above Normal chance of precipitation for February 21st through 27th and also the period from February 26th through March 11th.

For those who are tired of seeing snow on the ground, the rain could be a good thing. The rain will quickly melt the snow, however, too much rain in a short of amount of time could lead to flooding issues.

In the forecast for this week, it looks like rain on Wednesday afternoon and extending into Thursday morning. We could see a high temperature near 50° on Wednesday. Early Thursday morning it is possible there could be some freezing rain before everything changes over to snow.

For those of us that are ready for the change from winter to  spring -- mark your calendars for 11:33 am (Eastern Time) on Sunday, March 20 for the arrival of spring.

Also keep in mind that we move the clocks ahead one hour a week prior to spring's arrival. We "Spring Forward" on Sunday, March 13th.

It is also Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan from March 20th-26th, 2022. A statewide tornado drill planned for 1 pm on Wednesday, March 23rd.