Tornadoes, large hail, freezing rain and accumulating snow all are expected in tonight’s weather mayhem

A complex storm in March will bring a variety of impacts, from severe spring thunderstorms to freezing rain and some snow in Michigan.

The precipitation will not be small either. No matter what the weather is, there will be times of heavy rainfall.

Generally speaking, thunderstorms will develop in southwestern Lower Michigan after 7 pm today. Thunderstorms can bring any form of severe weather. These thunderstorms will move into the Lowertown and Saginaw Valley areas of the Southeast late tonight and continue overnight. North of the Saginaw Valley and northeastern Lower Michigan will see widespread freezing rain overnight. Traverse City and northwest Lower Michigan will see a mix of weather, including some light freezing rain. Snow is expected to fall in northern Lower Michigan on Wednesday.

Here’s the radar forecast when the storm begins at 7 p.m.

The overall comprehensive severe weather forecast shows the potential for some form of severe thunderstorms anywhere from Grand Rapids to Saginaw and south. The highest chance of severe weather is in the yellow zone from Grand Rapids to Oakland County and south.

A few tornadoes are possible south of Interstate 94 tonight between 7 pm and midnight. The chance of a tornado is nine percent, which is a pretty high probability. The increased opportunity is due to strong wind shear conditions. The black diagonal hash marks indicate the likelihood of EF2 tornadoes from Detroit to Ann Arbor, Jackson to Kalamazoo, and south to Michigan’s southern border counties.

In early March, due to high-altitude cold air, large hail is likely to appear in thunderstorms. The Southwest is most likely to experience large, damaging hail.

The line of thunderstorms will likely produce some straight line winds as it condenses into a solid line tonight.

The southern third of Lower Michigan will see heavy rain, with rainfall amounts exceeding an inch.

Now we turn to the colder part of the storm. Freezing rain will be the biggest concern. Parts of northeastern Lower Michigan could see up to a half-inch of freezing rain. Freezing rain elsewhere will range from a tenth to a quarter of an inch. Temperatures may not rise above freezing until noon Thursday.

The storm won’t bring much snow, with accumulations of one to three inches as far north as Traverse City. The snowfall will mainly occur on Wednesday, with cooler air.

Tonight, be prepared that you may need to shelter inside your home for an hour or two as multiple thunderstorms move through your area. Also be prepared for possible power outages as freezing rain accumulates in Northeast Michigan.

Please monitor MLive.com/weather throughout the day for any additional information on this storm.

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