Today will be cloudy, with a few light showers or sprinkles possible. Sunday will be dry and cloudy, with rain showers likely Sunday Night and Monday. Much cooler weather is expected starting after Thanksgiving. Read More >
Grand Rapids, MI
Weather Forecast Office
Dozens of you from all over Lower Michigan reported an unmistakable smell of smoke between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. last night. Described as smelling something like a camp- or trash fire with a hint of electrical or plastic odor, the source was from forest fires in the Great Smoky Mountains area, including the one which engulfed part of Gatlinburg, Tennessee last night. An analysis of the meteorological setup last night supports this theory.
Much of the southeastern U.S. is in the midst of an exceptional drought. Before last night, many locations had not seen substantial rain for months, setting records for persistent dry weather. Multiple large forest fires have flared up in the past few weeks.
A large storm system currently over the central U.S. induced a strong south-to-north flow of air on Monday between the Southeast U.S. and the Great Lakes, with wind speeds in the lowest mile of the atmosphere between 20 and 60 mph. Computer models run in a "backwards trajectory" mode confirm that air over Lower Michigan at 10 PM last night passed through the Smoky Mountains 12 hours earlier. A cold front passed through Lower Michigan early Tuesday morning, shifting the winds southwest and bringing in fresh air.
Our thoughts go out to the hundreds of people who lost nearly everything in these fires.
November 29, 2016
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US Dept of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
Grand Rapids, MI
4899 Tim Dougherty Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-4034
616-949-0643
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