Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for St. James, MI
April 28, 2025 3:36 PM EDT (19:36 UTC)
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 | Sunrise 6:25 AM Sunset 8:44 PM Moonrise 5:40 AM Moonset 9:37 PM |
LMZ362 Expires:202504282115;;612393 Fzus63 Kmkx 281721 Glflm
open lake forecast for lake michigan national weather service milwaukee/sullivan wi 1221 pm cdt Mon apr 28 2025
for waters beyond five nautical miles of shore on lake michigan.
waves are provided as a range of significant wave heights, which is the average of the highest 1/3 of the wave, along with the average height of the highest 10% of the waves which will occasionally be encountered.
Synopsis -
southeast winds will increase as low pressure of 29.4 inches tracks into south dakota. Winds will become gusty as the low moves into central minnesota by late afternoon, with southerly gales developing across the north half of lake michigan. Gales will continue across the north half into Tuesday morning and a gale warning is in effect, with no change to the timing. A few gusts to gale force are possible in the south half since winds just above the cool lake water will be gusting to over 40 kt, but gales at the lake level should not be widespread.
meanwhile, isolated Thunderstorms are possible across the northern half of the open waters this afternoon, with strong to severe Thunderstorms possible across the lake this evening and overnight. The main hazards with these storms would be damaging wind and hail. Low pressure exits into quebec on Tuesday morning, bringing a cold front southeastward across the open waters, ending Thunderstorm potential and bringing westerly winds just below gale force. Winds will diminish quickly Tuesday night as high pressure around 30.2 inches moves into the region.
lmz261-362-364-366-563-565-567-868-282115- lake michigan from seul choix point to rock island passage 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan south of a line from seul choix point to the mackinac bridge and north of a line from charlevoix mi to south fox island 5 nm offshore- lake michigan from charlevoix to point betsie mi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from point betsie to manistee mi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from rock island passage to sturgeon bay wi- lake michigan from sturgeon bay to two rivers wi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from two rivers to sheboygan wi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from pentwater to manistee mi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- 1221 pm cdt Mon apr 28 2025
sheboygan wi to pentwater mi north - .
.gale warning in effect from 4 pm cdt this afternoon through Tuesday morning - .
Rest of today - South winds to 30 kt increasing to gales to 35 kt. Waves 6 to 9 ft occasionally to 12 ft.
Tonight - South gales to 40 kt becoming southwest gales to 35 kt. Chance of rain showers and Thunderstorms. Waves 8 to 11 ft occasionally to 14 ft subsiding to 6 to 9 ft occasionally to 12 ft.
Tuesday - Southwest gales to 35 kt veering to north. Waves 6 to 9 ft occasionally to 12 ft.
Tuesday night - North winds to 30 kt becoming northeast 10 to 20 kt overnight. Waves 4 to 6 ft occasionally to 8 ft subsiding to 1 to 3 ft.
Wednesday - East winds 5 to 10 kt increasing to 10 to 15 kt. Waves 1 to 3 ft.
Wednesday night - East winds 10 to 15 kt becoming southeast. Chance of rain showers. Waves 1 to 2 ft.
Thursday - East winds 10 to 20 kt becoming northeast. Rain showers likely. Waves 2 to 4 ft.
Friday - Northwest winds 10 to 20 kt. Chance of rain showers. Waves 2 to 4 ft.
open lake forecast for lake michigan national weather service milwaukee/sullivan wi 1221 pm cdt Mon apr 28 2025
for waters beyond five nautical miles of shore on lake michigan.
waves are provided as a range of significant wave heights, which is the average of the highest 1/3 of the wave, along with the average height of the highest 10% of the waves which will occasionally be encountered.
southeast winds will increase as low pressure of 29.4 inches tracks into south dakota. Winds will become gusty as the low moves into central minnesota by late afternoon, with southerly gales developing across the north half of lake michigan. Gales will continue across the north half into Tuesday morning and a gale warning is in effect, with no change to the timing. A few gusts to gale force are possible in the south half since winds just above the cool lake water will be gusting to over 40 kt, but gales at the lake level should not be widespread.
meanwhile, isolated Thunderstorms are possible across the northern half of the open waters this afternoon, with strong to severe Thunderstorms possible across the lake this evening and overnight. The main hazards with these storms would be damaging wind and hail. Low pressure exits into quebec on Tuesday morning, bringing a cold front southeastward across the open waters, ending Thunderstorm potential and bringing westerly winds just below gale force. Winds will diminish quickly Tuesday night as high pressure around 30.2 inches moves into the region.
lmz261-362-364-366-563-565-567-868-282115- lake michigan from seul choix point to rock island passage 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan south of a line from seul choix point to the mackinac bridge and north of a line from charlevoix mi to south fox island 5 nm offshore- lake michigan from charlevoix to point betsie mi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from point betsie to manistee mi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from rock island passage to sturgeon bay wi- lake michigan from sturgeon bay to two rivers wi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from two rivers to sheboygan wi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- lake michigan from pentwater to manistee mi 5 nm offshore to mid lake- 1221 pm cdt Mon apr 28 2025
sheboygan wi to pentwater mi north - .
LMZ300
No data
No data
7 Day Forecast for Marine Location Near St. James, MI
NEW! Add second zone forecast
FXUS63 KAPX 281926 AFDAPX
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gaylord MI 326 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- Widespread thunderstorms tonight and Tuesday morning with chances for scattered severe storms
- Rain chances re-emerge on Thursday, lingering into Friday.
- Cooler Friday into Saturday.
- Period of warm and mostly dry conditions possible in the extended range (~May 5 and beyond).
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/
Issued at 320 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
Forecast Synopsis: Current satellite and radar depict areas of thunderstorm activity over the western Upper peninsula and western Lk Superior this afternoon. This is draping some high clouds over northern MI, however ample sunshine is still reaching the surface in most spots. Temperatures are quickly rising into the high 60s and low 70s across northern MI. Critical fire weather conditions due to frequently gusty southerly winds persisting dry air near the surface. These conditions will persist through the late afternoon hours as mixing heights rise to around 4 kft and mix out any moisture that tries to seep in from the west. NE lower will see these conditions linger into the evening, however mid and LL moisture will finally make its way over Lk MI and to NW lower. A surface cyclone will reach WI and move a warm sector over the state after midnight. This warm sector will have a LLJ of around 60 to 70 kts at 2-5 kft. During this time, there will be a SW/NE axis of upper level forcing draped over WI/MN and through Lk Superior. These features will start to dip SE around midnight, yielding strong shear (Bulk 0-6km up to 50 or even 60kts) and lift (mid and LL omega) over northern MI. Around 500 to 1200 j/kg of elevated instability will exist on top of this, and in some spots (near Manistee and Wexford Co.) a few hundred SFC/ML instability exists. Dry air aloft (600 mb and above) will be present throughout the night, leading to healthy mid level lapse rates of +7 C/km.
Putting this all together, an inital round of isolated thunder storms are possible over eastern upper and NW lower this evening and tonight (before midnight). A line of storms will likely sprout over central WI and the U.P. orientated from SW-NE. This will move across northern MI, reaching the western coast of Lk Huron by sunrise Tuesday. Chances remain favorable for a handful of these storms to produce damaging winds and some large hail.
There is a non-zero chance for a tornado or two with the very favorable shear environment while cloud bases temporarily dip.
The front will move through Tuesday mid morning, which could result in more thunderstorm activity for NE lower as this is where the best environment will remain tomorrow morning.
Winds will be breezy overnight, however there is low confidence for widespread strong gusts as mixing heights will be capped (most instability remains elevated). Winds turn west Tuesday and strengthen and become frequently gusty.
Forecast Confidence and Concerns: A chaotic environment, such as what is forecasted tonight, results in a few uncertainties. Lets start with the more certain thoughts. There will be thunderstorm activity across northern MI tonight, resulting in lightning, wetting rains and gusty outflow winds. The cool lakes will temporarily hurt storm development, however background forcing and favorable mid and LL environments should keep activity alive. The coverage and strength are what could change as storms move over land. If a line of storms becomes more defined, it will become parallel with mid level flow as it reaches the shores of NW lower and have what it needs to sustain its definition as it crosses the penisula. This could result in more widespread damaging winds. CAMs don't reflect this scenario, however it depends heavily on how convection starts over WI and the western U
P
Better chances exist for convection remaining more scattered but aligned in the form of a line with damaging winds and large hail remaining an isolated threat with a handful of storms.
LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/
Issued at 320 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
Pattern Synopsis and Forecast:
High pressure builds in briefly on Wednesday with seasonable temperatures and lighter winds. Next chance for precipitation will be Thursday into portions of Friday due to a low pressure system tracking up from the S Plains-MS Valley vicinity into southern portions of MI. There are still discrepancies on the exact track of this low pressure system, for instance CMC shoves it a little farther east, along with subsequent GEPS ENS, but the GFS/GEFS & ECMWF/EPS keep the low/precip shield farther NW. Something to fine tune in the coming days but the best potential for wetting rains may reside across the southeastern half of northern MI. Much cooler Friday into the first half of this weekend after this system, and additional upper level system swings on through (showers will linger on Friday due to an upper level system adding lift). Cannot completely rule out a few snowflakes if the cold air times perfectly with some lingering moisture. Dry this weekend, with warming temperatures Sunday into early next week as heights build aloft. A warm and dry period looks increasingly likely in the extended (~May 5 and beyond) as an omega/rex block, or some combination of the two, forms over the CONUS with the high pressure centered near northern MI.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/
Issued at 144 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
VFR conditions will persist through ~03Z tonight. S winds remain 15 to 20kts with G25 to 30kts during this time. Chances for TSRA after 03Z will linger through the period. W/S of 40 - 50+ mph at 2 kft overnight due to strong LLJ. Isolated TS chances from 03Z to 06Z, then more scattered TS coverage from 06Z thru 12Z as storms move from W-E across northern MI. A few could impact terminals, leading to MVFR/IFR cigs/vis and frequent lightning.
Damaging wind gusts and large hail are also possible hazards with storms. Chances for TSRA shift to NE lower Tuesday morning.
APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MI...Red Flag Warning until 6 PM EDT this evening for MIZ016-020- 021-025>027-031>033-099.
Red Flag Warning until 8 PM EDT this evening for MIZ017-018- 022>024-028>030-034>036-041-042.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT Tuesday for LHZ345>349.
Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for LMZ323- 341-342-344>346.
Gale Warning from 8 PM this evening to 11 AM EDT Tuesday for LMZ323-341-342-344>346.
Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT Tuesday for LSZ321-322.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gaylord MI 326 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- Widespread thunderstorms tonight and Tuesday morning with chances for scattered severe storms
- Rain chances re-emerge on Thursday, lingering into Friday.
- Cooler Friday into Saturday.
- Period of warm and mostly dry conditions possible in the extended range (~May 5 and beyond).
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/
Issued at 320 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
Forecast Synopsis: Current satellite and radar depict areas of thunderstorm activity over the western Upper peninsula and western Lk Superior this afternoon. This is draping some high clouds over northern MI, however ample sunshine is still reaching the surface in most spots. Temperatures are quickly rising into the high 60s and low 70s across northern MI. Critical fire weather conditions due to frequently gusty southerly winds persisting dry air near the surface. These conditions will persist through the late afternoon hours as mixing heights rise to around 4 kft and mix out any moisture that tries to seep in from the west. NE lower will see these conditions linger into the evening, however mid and LL moisture will finally make its way over Lk MI and to NW lower. A surface cyclone will reach WI and move a warm sector over the state after midnight. This warm sector will have a LLJ of around 60 to 70 kts at 2-5 kft. During this time, there will be a SW/NE axis of upper level forcing draped over WI/MN and through Lk Superior. These features will start to dip SE around midnight, yielding strong shear (Bulk 0-6km up to 50 or even 60kts) and lift (mid and LL omega) over northern MI. Around 500 to 1200 j/kg of elevated instability will exist on top of this, and in some spots (near Manistee and Wexford Co.) a few hundred SFC/ML instability exists. Dry air aloft (600 mb and above) will be present throughout the night, leading to healthy mid level lapse rates of +7 C/km.
Putting this all together, an inital round of isolated thunder storms are possible over eastern upper and NW lower this evening and tonight (before midnight). A line of storms will likely sprout over central WI and the U.P. orientated from SW-NE. This will move across northern MI, reaching the western coast of Lk Huron by sunrise Tuesday. Chances remain favorable for a handful of these storms to produce damaging winds and some large hail.
There is a non-zero chance for a tornado or two with the very favorable shear environment while cloud bases temporarily dip.
The front will move through Tuesday mid morning, which could result in more thunderstorm activity for NE lower as this is where the best environment will remain tomorrow morning.
Winds will be breezy overnight, however there is low confidence for widespread strong gusts as mixing heights will be capped (most instability remains elevated). Winds turn west Tuesday and strengthen and become frequently gusty.
Forecast Confidence and Concerns: A chaotic environment, such as what is forecasted tonight, results in a few uncertainties. Lets start with the more certain thoughts. There will be thunderstorm activity across northern MI tonight, resulting in lightning, wetting rains and gusty outflow winds. The cool lakes will temporarily hurt storm development, however background forcing and favorable mid and LL environments should keep activity alive. The coverage and strength are what could change as storms move over land. If a line of storms becomes more defined, it will become parallel with mid level flow as it reaches the shores of NW lower and have what it needs to sustain its definition as it crosses the penisula. This could result in more widespread damaging winds. CAMs don't reflect this scenario, however it depends heavily on how convection starts over WI and the western U
P
Better chances exist for convection remaining more scattered but aligned in the form of a line with damaging winds and large hail remaining an isolated threat with a handful of storms.
LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/
Issued at 320 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
Pattern Synopsis and Forecast:
High pressure builds in briefly on Wednesday with seasonable temperatures and lighter winds. Next chance for precipitation will be Thursday into portions of Friday due to a low pressure system tracking up from the S Plains-MS Valley vicinity into southern portions of MI. There are still discrepancies on the exact track of this low pressure system, for instance CMC shoves it a little farther east, along with subsequent GEPS ENS, but the GFS/GEFS & ECMWF/EPS keep the low/precip shield farther NW. Something to fine tune in the coming days but the best potential for wetting rains may reside across the southeastern half of northern MI. Much cooler Friday into the first half of this weekend after this system, and additional upper level system swings on through (showers will linger on Friday due to an upper level system adding lift). Cannot completely rule out a few snowflakes if the cold air times perfectly with some lingering moisture. Dry this weekend, with warming temperatures Sunday into early next week as heights build aloft. A warm and dry period looks increasingly likely in the extended (~May 5 and beyond) as an omega/rex block, or some combination of the two, forms over the CONUS with the high pressure centered near northern MI.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/
Issued at 144 PM EDT Mon Apr 28 2025
VFR conditions will persist through ~03Z tonight. S winds remain 15 to 20kts with G25 to 30kts during this time. Chances for TSRA after 03Z will linger through the period. W/S of 40 - 50+ mph at 2 kft overnight due to strong LLJ. Isolated TS chances from 03Z to 06Z, then more scattered TS coverage from 06Z thru 12Z as storms move from W-E across northern MI. A few could impact terminals, leading to MVFR/IFR cigs/vis and frequent lightning.
Damaging wind gusts and large hail are also possible hazards with storms. Chances for TSRA shift to NE lower Tuesday morning.
APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MI...Red Flag Warning until 6 PM EDT this evening for MIZ016-020- 021-025>027-031>033-099.
Red Flag Warning until 8 PM EDT this evening for MIZ017-018- 022>024-028>030-034>036-041-042.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT Tuesday for LHZ345>349.
Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for LMZ323- 341-342-344>346.
Gale Warning from 8 PM this evening to 11 AM EDT Tuesday for LMZ323-341-342-344>346.
Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT Tuesday for LSZ321-322.
| Stations | Dist | Age | Wind | Air | Water | Waves | inHg | DewPt |
| GTLM4 - Grand Traverse Light, MI | 26 mi | 57 min | S 4.1G | 68°F | 29.96 | |||
| PNLM4 - 9087096 - Port Inland, MI | 32 mi | 49 min | S 6G | 45°F | 47°F | 29.97 | ||
| NABM4 - Naubinway, MI | 35 mi | 57 min | WSW 2.9G | 50°F | 29.97 | |||
| MACM4 - 9075080 - Mackinaw City, MI | 45 mi | 49 min | S 1.9G | 46°F | 42°F | 29.92 | 41°F |
Wind History for Port Inland, MI
toggle option: (graph/table)
Link to 1 hour of 5 minute data for KSJX
Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for KSJX
Wind History Graph: SJX
(wind in knots)
GEOS Local Image of GreatLakes
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Gaylord, MI,
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