MICHIGAN - Arctic cold is building in Canada and will pounce on Michigan next week. Very cold air, a storm system and wind flow perfect for lake effect snow will make next week's weather interesting.

A cold blast of air is a near-certainty for next week. For the past three days, weather data has shown the cold air moving toward Michigan. It is expected to move in starting Sunday and last through much of next week.

The maps above show what level of cold to expect. You'll probably notice the morning low temperatures next Wednesday and Thursday aren't extremely cold for Michigan, but they are well below zero in Wisconsin. The warm waters of Lake Michigan will protect Lower Michigan from the harshest cold. However, the protecting warm water also likely will set off heavy lake effect snow.

Notice the wind direction forecast for Tuesday, Jan. 12. Widespread west to northwest winds are expected. That's a perfect flow for widespread lake effect snow in Michigan. The west-northwest wind flow could last for much of the week, helping produce several days of heavy lake effect in places.

Finally, I end with a total snowfall forecast for Jan. 10-14. Use it only as a guide to show where winter fun or winter driving woes may be present.

My early thoughts

It's way too early to be confident about snow amounts. I've lived in Michigan for 23 years. I recognize this pattern. Warmer-than-normal water temperatures, combined with colder-than-normal air, several upper air disturbances and a consistent west-northwest wind spell a period of widespread heavy lake effect snow coming.

The warmer the Great Lakes water, the heavier the lake effect snow may be.

As we meteorologists like to say, next week should be real "interesting."

If you have any questions or comments, please post below.

MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa has been forecasting Michigan weather for more than 25 years. He's been chief meteorologist at three television news stations in Michigan, and he's an avid gardener and hunter. Email him at mtorregr@mlive.com and find him on Facebook at facebook.com/mark.torregrossa and Twitter @weathermanmark