COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Winter weather is making a definitive return to Branch County and the rest of Michigan as a powerful storm system, dubbed Winter Storm Ezra, sweeps across the Great Lakes region to begin a new week.
Following an unseasonably warm Christmas week that saw temperatures climb into the 40’s and 50’s, a sharp cold front is now pushing through the state. While southern Michigan initially experiences rain and mixed precipitation, temperatures are forecast to drop rapidly Sunday night, transitioning remaining moisture into snow and setting the stage for a frigid end to 2025.
For residents in Coldwater and Branch County, the National Weather Service indicates that the most significant impacts will arrive between Sunday night and Monday morning.
Intense lake-effect snow is expected to develop as strong westerly winds, with gusts potentially reaching 40 to 50 mph, trigger hazardous travel conditions and whiteouts across southern Michigan.
High temperatures Monday and Tuesday are projected to struggle into the low 20’s, with wind chills making it feel significantly colder as an Arctic air mass settles over the area.
The National Weather Service is forecasting 1-3 inches of snow for most of the area while Kalamazoo County as well as most of southwest Michigan could see between 4-7 inches by Monday evening.
The statewide impact of this system is severe, with blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings issued for the Upper Peninsula and portions of northern Lower Michigan. Some areas in the U.P. are bracing for over a foot of snow, while southern regions face a “flash freeze” scenario as standing water from recent rains turns to ice overnight.
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