Winter will return to Michigan by mid-week next week. The catalyst for the winter weather will be two storms merging together just east of Michigan.

Here’s a forecast animation showing how the second storm pulls the first storm back toward the Great Lakes region.

Forecast from Monday evening, February 24, 2020 to Friday, February 28, 2020

Much of the modeling shows the two areas of weather merging over Michigan Wednesday and producing an accumulating snow. Behind the snow-maker could be cold winds and some drifting Thursday.

The U.S. model shows almost the same weather scenario as the European Model.

The blue and red lines on the animation are pressure lines. The tightly packed pressure lines signify a windy situation once the two storms merge and move east of Michigan.

Since the storms have been so consistent in the past two months, we can look at possible snowfall already.

You’ll see that both the U.S. model and the European model have similar areas for the heaviest snow, and similar amounts.

Total snowfall forecast next Tuesday to Thursday from the European Model.

Don’t look at the exact amounts, but get out of this that a solid snow is possible across much of the Lower Peninsula next week.

And the U.S. model agrees, with maybe somewhat lighter amounts but the same placement.

U.S. model called the GFS showing total snowfall forecast for Tuesday to Thursday next week.

What I hope you get out of this is it’s probably easily a three to six inch snow if the two storms come together as modeled. This is a more dynamic situation compared to just one storm moving across the country. So let’s give it until Sunday morning before we really believe what’s going to happen.

But I’d plan on most of next week being on the slick and snowy side.