All of West Michigan should be on alert for potential severe weather throughout the day on Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, high dew points and moderate instability will support the development of strong thunderstorms early Wednesday morning. Some storms may affect parts of the state early Wednesday, but are not expected to be severe. Storms developing in the afternoon will encounter a more severe-prone environment due to high surface temperatures and increased convective available potential energy (CAPE).

The timeframe for these potential severe storms, as highlighted by the National Weather Service office in Grand Rapids, is between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. across the state. Damaging winds are likely with this storm system, along with an increased possibility of tornadoes and hail south of the US-10 corridor.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed the following cities in their severe risk categories for Wednesday:

• Enhanced Risk (Level 3/5): Areas south of the M-43 corridor, including Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Coldwater, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo, and Lansing

  • 30% chance of damaging winds, 15% chance of hail, 5% chance of tornadoes (per the Storm Prediction Center)

• Slight Risk (Level 2/5): Areas north of the M-43 corridor and south of the US-10 corridor, including Alma, Baldwin, Big Rapids, Canadian Lakes, Clare, Evart, Fremont, Grand Rapids, Greenville, Harrison, Hesperia, Howard City, Kent City, Lakeview, Mecosta, Morley, Mount Pleasant, Newaygo, Reed City, Remus, Shepherd, Sheridan, Sparta, Stanton, Stanwood, and White Cloud

  • 15% chance of damaging winds, 5–15% chance of hail, 5% chance of tornadoes (per the Storm Prediction Center)

• Marginal Risk (Level 1/5): Areas north of the US-10 corridor, including Cadillac, Lake City, Ludington, Manistee, and McBain

  • 5–15% chance of damaging winds, 5–15% chance of hail, 2–5% chance of tornadoes (per the Storm Prediction Center)

Stay updated with weather alerts from Big Rapids Daily News on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Tune in to Big Rapids Media radio stations—Big Country 100.9 FM, Rewind 99.1 FM, Y-102 102.3 FM, or NewsRadio WBRN (1460 AM, 96.5 FM, 107.7 FM)—for hourly WeatherEye forecasts.