Forecast Details for Grand Rapids, MI

Recent Locations: Tucson, AZ Cape Coral, FL Grand Rapids, MI

Today: Snow likely before 4pm, then snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Patchy fog between 1pm and 3pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 28. South southwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tonight: Snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 24. South southwest wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday: Snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain before 7am, then snow. Patchy fog before 11am. Temperature rising to near 35 by noon, then falling to around 26 during the remainder of the day. West wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Friday Night: A 10 percent chance of snow before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 3. Wind chill values as low as -6. North northwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 20. North wind around 6 mph.

Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Wednesday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33.

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North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

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Weather Topic: What is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

Sleet Next Topic: Snow

Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones, and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.

The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is freezing rain.

Next Topic: Snow