The Christmas holiday season has the classic snow effect across the lake throughout Michigan. Grand Rapids will have accumulating snow, but you will not be in the heaviest snow area.
Once the cold wind is established around Grand Rapids, the wind blows from the northwest. Northwesterly winds usually hold the heaviest sea effect southwest of Grand Rapids, around Holland, Allegan, Saugatuck and Kalamazoo.
Northwesterly winds also cause fairly heavy snow on land just north of Grand Rapids. Muskegon for Pentwater will also be in the heavier snow bands.
On Christmas afternoon, the wind will turn more from the west. This wind current gets more powerful sea effect snow right into Grand Rapids.
Here is the radar forecast through Christmas.
Radar forecast from Christmas Eve to 1 Saturday.
Here is the expected amount of snow that falls through the day after Christmas.
Total snowfall forecast to kl. 07.00 26 December 2020
Kent County always seems to be a dividing line between heavy and light snowfall. But on Christmas Eve, Grand Rapids could have 2 to 4 inches of snow with a tendency to the lower amounts. Just 20 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, Holland could have 6 or more inches of snow. When we go east of Grand Rapids, snow will only rise 1 or 2 inches.