Meteorologists are warning Michiganders about possible thunderstorms over the weekend. Thunderstorms are expected to stay in the Grand Rapids area tonight and move northeast into Saturday.
Faith Fredrickson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS), said that the biggest threat is damaging winds and possible flooding.
“A lot of how the rain and some embedded thunderstorms move through tonight will kind of set the stage for what happens tomorrow,” Fredrickson said. “The most likely threats are going to be torrential rainfall with the potential for localized flooding and damaging winds.”
She said that there is a chance of hail and tornadoes, but that it's extremely low.
The service is recommended that anyone who is outdoors during the weekend take the proper precautions and stay updated on the weather.
“If you're going to be out camping or out hiking or on a river somewhere, it'd be a good idea to have a plan of, ‘ok, where am I going to seek shelter? Is there a good spot for that?'” Frederickson said.
In a Facebook post, the NWS said to seek shelter in the case of lightning.
“No matter where your plans take you in Michigan on Friday and Saturday, if you see lightning or hear thunder, your best bet is to move indoors or into a hard-topped vehicle away from large trees,” the NWS wrote. “Scattered thunderstorms are favored to develop from time to time. A few in Michigan could be severe with locally damaging wind gusts.”
