Much colder air is going to invade Michigan late in the week. The cold may even come with some snowy spurts.

Before this cold patch invades Michigan, we have three really spring-like days ahead. The warmth will peak Wednesday when the southern half of Lower Michigan will warm well into the 60s. A spot or two south of I-94 could touch 70 degrees Wednesday.

Let’s look at the spring weather peaking this week on Wednesday.

High temperature forecast for Wednesday, April 8, 2020

A storm system will roll across Michigan and bring a strong cold front through Lower Michigan quickly Wednesday night and Thursday morning. By midday Thursday, it will feel a touch like winter is back. Temperatures will be in the 40s, but the 20 mph northwest wind will give the air an early March feel.

Look at the expected temperatures by Friday.

High temperature forecast for Friday, April 10, 2020

It’s going to feel quite chilly by Friday. Temperatures will be in the 40s away from Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Near those two Great Lakes, temperatures will probably hold in the 30s.

When the colder air plunges in, precipitation will still be falling occasionally. As a result, we should have some spurts of snow showers Thursday and Friday.

The forecast map for Thursday afternoon looks like winter.

2 p.m. Thursday surface map shows Michigan in the colder air with snow showers flying.

It will actually be lake effect snow showers mixed with lake effect rain showers.

There will probably by some scattered accumulations.

Snow forecast from now through Friday, showing some accumulations Thursday and Friday.

The ground has warmed up into the 40s and 50s, so snow will have a hard time sticking. I’d look for 1 to 3 inches across northwest Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Southern Lower Michigan may see dustings to one inch on the grass at times.

And it’s not a quick, two-day chill.

Extended temperature forecast for April 11-15, 2020

The temperature forecast for April 11-15, 2020 has Michigan in a high chance of colder than average temperatures. At that point, we have long-term average high temperatures between 55 degrees and 60 degrees. So a much colder than average forecast is probably highs in the 40s.

Temperature forecast for April 13-19, 2020.

The cold doesn’t let up through April 19, 2020. This will be the longest stretch of below-average temperatures since last year. We had four cold outbreaks try to start this winter, but they only lasted a couple of days each time. This colder-than-normal stretch will stick around for a couple of weeks.

I guess the good news in here is the sun is gaining power every day. While we are facing colder than average weather, it won’t always be wintry. There will be several days in the middle of April that warm into the 50s.

We will have to watch the very extended data to see if this is a longer lasting change to a cooler pattern. I don’t think it will be a several-month pattern. It will be the coldest stretch compared to normals for the longest stretch in a while.