LOCAL

There's an end in sight to the bitter cold, but it could lead to flooding

Megan Banta Ken Palmer
Lansing State Journal

LANSING – Storm-ravaged mid-Michigan could face another problem when the bitter cold and blowing snow finally move out this weekend.

A sudden thaw, coupled with rain showers, could lead to flooding, forecasters say.

"That is something we are concerned about," Heather Orow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, said Wednesday. "It's something that we're thinking about, because we're going to get some rain on top of the snow."

The Lansing region is in for another day of life-threatening cold before temperatures rise into the teens on Friday, ahead of the weekend thaw.

Winter storm warnings for the Lansing area were canceled on Wednesday night, but a wind chill warning remains in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday.

Temperatures Wednesday night will fall to around minus 12 degrees and won't climb much above zero on Thursday, with wind-chill values as low as minus 31, the National Weather Service said. Lansing's record low for Jan. 31 is minus 14, set in 1899, the weather service said. 

Portions of the Grand River are frozen above the dam near Moores Park in Lansing Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.  The dam is owned by the Board of Water and Light, and cools the turbines that produce electricity in the Grand River.

Patchy, blowing snow, coupled with super-chilled air, could cause the same treacherous road conditions that led to dozens of slide-offs and crashes on Wednesday, forecasters said. Officials were urging drivers to stay off the roads and out of the cold.

Local schools and government offices, including the state of Michigan, are closed today for the third time this week. Michigan State University and Lansing Community College are closed today, for the second day in a row.

The City of Lansing extended its snow emergency, which means all non-essential travel on city roads is prohibited. Officials are asking residents to use "common sense" to determine what is essential. 

Up to an inch of new snow was expected from Wednesday evening through Thursday in the Lansing area.

After falling below zero overnight, temperatures are expected to creep into the mid-teens on Friday. By Saturday, warm air will begin flowing into Michigan ahead of a low pressure system lifting through the upper Midwest, Orow said.  

The mercury will climb into the mid-30s on Saturday, mid-40s on Sunday and could hit 50 degrees on Monday, she said.

There's a chance for rain and snow started Saturday night and leading into Sunday. 

A significant snow melt followed by rain caused severe flooding last February — the worst the area had seen since 1985.

It's not just melting snow and rain that's concerning, Orow said. 

There are portions of the Grand River and Red Cedar River that are iced over. As that starts to melt, the ice could break up and form a blockage in the river, known as an ice jam. 

Those ice jams could also cause flooding, Orow said. 

Contact reporter Megan Banta at (517) 377-1261 or mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1