329  
FXUS63 KGRR 011047  
AFDGRR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI  
647 AM EDT TUE SEP 1 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- SMALL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS TODAY  
 
- ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY  
 
- ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE 7 DAY FORECAST  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 354 AM EDT TUE SEP 1 2026  
 
- SMALL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS TODAY  
 
LIGHT SOUTHWEST FLOW IS IN PLACE THIS MORNING ALONG WITH DEW  
POINTS AROUND 70F. UPSTREAM A COLD FRONT IS SITUATED FROM THE U.P.  
SOUTHWEST ACROSS WISCONSIN AND INTO IOWA. WE REMAIN IN THE WARM  
SECTOR TODAY WITH BUILDING INSTABILITY. MUCAPE VALUES EVEN AT THIS  
EARLY HOUR RANGE FROM 2,000 J/KG IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN TO  
AROUND 4,000 J/KG IN IOWA. THE FRONT REMAINS UPSTREAM TODAY AND  
ONLY SLOWLY SAGS INTO THE AREA TONIGHT WHILE LOSING DEFINITION.  
ALOFT, IT IS DIFFICULT TO PICK OUT MUCH OF ANY SHORTWAVE ACTIVITY  
UPSTREAM EARLY THIS MORNING AND MODEL DATA MOVING THROUGH THE DAY  
SHOWS LITTLE ENERGY ALOFT EITHER. THE BOTTOM LINE IS A THREAT FOR  
SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS IS CERTAINLY THERE TODAY/TONIGHT,  
BUT THERE IS LITTLE TO TRULY PINPOINT TIMING OR AREAS. CONFIDENCE  
IN MORPHOLOGY OF STORMS TODAY IS LOW AS IS THE THREAT FOR STORMS  
AT ALL. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME ISOLATED ACTIVITY  
DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY TODAY, BUT HAVE KEPT THE FORECAST DRY.  
WE DO HAVE SOME SMALL POPS AROUND 20 PERCENT THIS EVENING BASED ON  
A CONSENSUS OF SHORT TERM MODELS AND BLENDS. SPC HAS THE AREA IN  
A MARGINAL RISK TODAY, WHICH IS RELATED TO AN INCREASE IN WIND  
FIELDS AT 850MB AND 500MB AFTER 00Z. AGAIN, WE WILL NEED A  
KICKER/LIFTING MECHANISM AND AT THIS POINT THAT COMPONENT IS  
NEBULOUS.  
 
HAVE HELD OFF ON ANY HEAT HEADLINE TODAY AS INDEX VALUES ARE  
MARGINAL ONLY IN THE FAR SOUTH. WE COULD SEE HEAT INDEX VALUES  
APPROACH 100 FROM AZO OVER TO JXN THIS AFTERNOON, BUT MOST AREAS  
SHOULD HOLD IN THE 90S FOR MAXIMUM APPARENT TEMPERATURES TODAY.  
 
- ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY  
 
THE SURFACE FRONT WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY WHICH MAY  
PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MULTIPLE SHORTWAVE'S  
ARE FORECAST TO BE MOVING THROUGH THE GENERALLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT  
ON WEDNESDAY AS WELL. STRONG INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ON  
WEDNESDAY MAKING FOR BETTER CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS. SPC  
HAS SOME OF OUR FAR EASTERN AREAS TOWARDS THE U.S. 27/127 CORRIDOR  
IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER. CANNOT RULE THIS OUT GIVEN  
STRONG WINDS ALOFT REMAINING IN PLACE.  
 
ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED ON  
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS WELL BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR THE  
WEEKEND. THAT SAID, QUITE A FEW ENSEMBLE MEMBERS OF BOTH THE GFS  
AND THE ECMWF INDICATE PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL INTO THE WEEKEND AS  
WELL. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, FORECAST CONFIDENCE IN PRECIPITATION IN  
THE COMING DAYS IS NOT HIGH OWING TO TRANSIENT WEAKER SHORTWAVES  
ALOFT AND A WEAK SURFACE PATTERN MOST DAYS.  
 
- ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE 7 DAY FORECAST  
 
WE ARE EXPECTING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
PERIOD WITH THE WARMEST DAYS BEING TODAY AND WEDNESDAY. A SLOW  
COOLING TREND IS NOTED INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. IT WILL TAKE UNTIL  
NEXT MONDAY BEFORE WE SEE TEMPERATURES APPROACHING NORMALS FOR  
THIS TIME OF YEAR.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 646 AM EDT TUE SEP 1 2026  
 
VFR WEATHER PREVAILS ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE MOST PART AS WE  
APPROACH 11Z. THERE IS A POCKET OF STRATUS ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER  
MICHIGAN NEAR BIG RAPIDS (RQB) BUT THIS SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF THE  
TAF SITES BEFORE DISSIPATING THIS MORNING. THERE IS SOME LIGHT FOG  
IN PLACE AT TIMES NEAR/AT THE TAF SITES, BUT THIS SHOULD DISSIPATE  
AROUND 13Z OR SO.  
 
WE EXPECT SOME CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT TODAY WITH BASES AROUND 4,000  
TO 5,000 FEET. ADDITIONALLY, SOME CIRRUS DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM  
UPSTREAM STORMS WILL DRIFT IN FROM THE WEST AS WELL. BOTTOM LINE  
VFR WEATHER IS EXPECTED.  
 
THE QUESTION WITH THE PRIOR SET OF TAFS REMAINS IN THIS SET. THAT  
IS, WILL WE SEE SHOWERS AND STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE LOW LEVEL JET THIS AFTERNOON AND  
TONIGHT SO CANNOT RULE OUT SOME ISOLATED ACTIVITY. CONFIDENCE AT  
THIS POINT IS TOO LOW TO INCLUDE. CURRENT FEELING IS WE STAY DRY  
AT THE TAF SITES DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS, BUT CAN ENVISION SOME  
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS TONIGHT. LATER FORECASTS WILL INCLUDE  
SHRA/TSRA IF CONFIDENCE INCREASES.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
ISSUED AT 354 AM EDT TUE SEP 1 2026  
 
AS FORECAST, WAVES SUBSIDED BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS YESTERDAY  
EVENING. SUB ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE NOW EXPECTED THE NEXT COUPLE  
OF DAYS AT LEAST. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BE FAIRLY SLACK IT  
APPEARS AS A WEAK BOUNDARY SAGS INTO THE AREA TODAY AND REMAINS  
NEAR THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. WITHOUT A LOW OF SOME  
DEPTH AND/OR A BUILDING HIGH WINDS WILL REMAIN ON THE LIGHTER  
SIDE. WAVES LOOK TO BE 2 FEET OR LESS THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE  
CAVEAT HOWEVER AS ALWAYS IS THUNDERSTORMS. WE ARE EXPECTING AT  
LEAST SOME PERIODIC THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THROUGH FRIDAY WHICH  
WILL BRING A LOCAL UPTICK IN WAVE ACTION AS THE STORMS AND  
ASSOCIATED LOCALIZED WIND MOVE THROUGH.  
 
 
   
GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MI...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...DUKE  
AVIATION...DUKE  
MARINE...DUKE  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab MI Page
The Nexlab IN Page
Main Text Page