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• Hurricane Isaias could be headed to West Michigan

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The first hurricane of the year may form this week in the Gulf, and the leftover hurricane remnants are expected to move over West Michigan Sunday. An area of investigation has been identified in the Gulf off the coast of Tampico. This is the ninth area of investigation to form so far this hurricane season in the Atlantic basin. Current forecasts project this storm to strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane over the next few days. A Category 2 hurricane holds wind speeds between 96 and 110 mph. If a tropical storm forms, it will be named Isiaias. After landfall, upper-level winds will steer the storm and bring it north. Hurricanes weaken rapidly after moving onshore, especially if tropical systems fail to merge with a strong mid-latitude storm (like with superstorm Sandy). The current forecast drastically weakens Isaias and pulls the system north towards West Michigan. A tropical wave of rain and clouds will likely move into Michigan Sunday. Severe weather is not expected. Temperatures will stay mild, near 70 degrees, with steady light to moderate rain through the day. The amount of rain may vary depending on the exact track of the storm later this week.

• The Fruit Ridge: West Michigan’s perfect plots for farming

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Detroit may be the Motor City, but Michigan is an agricultural state. Michigan is home to nearly 44,000 farms on approximately 9.4 million acres of land. No state produces more tart cherries, blueberries and squash than the Mitten State, not to mention the state’s production of milk, corn, sugar beets, cattle and hogs. Frost, smoke and drought combine for challenging growing season It’s no surprise that large parts of West Michigan are dedicated to fruit-growing. What may be a surprise is that a particular stretch of West Michigan is practically the scientific ideal for it. It’s called the Fruit Ridge. It’s about 8 miles wide and 20 miles long, running from Walker to Grant, covering portions of Kent, Muskegon, Newaygo and Ottawa counties. Laura Johnson, the chief science officer for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said two key factors make the Fruit Ridge a rare anomaly for fruit growing, and it started thousands of years ago. “The first one is the glacial activity that happened all across Michigan. We used to be under miles of ice,” Johnson told News 8. “It shaped and deposited a unique set of sediments right there along the Fruit Ridge. It’s called a moraine. It’s basically where the end of that ice lobe used to be.” A map drawn in 1930 by experts from Michigan State University about which type of farming best suits different regions of the state based on weather and land conditions. (Courtesy MSU Extension) The ice sheets didn’t move consistently, Johnson explained, but rather in stretches. The slower melting periods allowed for more sediment to be released. “So we got that Fruit Ridge formed that provides some elevation and perfect, really good soil types for growing fruit,” she said. West Michigan’s top 8 cider mills The sediment left the ridge full of loamy soil with a high clay content. “Loam has the perfect mix of sand, silt and clay, so it’s like the perfect garden mix soil,” Johnson said. “This has a little bit more clay than that, which means it has a little bit more of the type of nutrients that are good for growing things. It also has a good amount of water-holding capacity. It can hold onto moisture. But because it’s on the ridge, it still has nice drainage so you don’t get wet tree roots.” Hill Brothers Orchards & Cider Mill is one of several scattered along West Michigan's Fruit Ridge. (WOOD TV8 file) The second factor relates to moderating temperatures and is particularly important for growing apples. “That little bit of terrain, it makes it so when cold fronts come through, all of that cold air tends to be down in the bottom areas,” Johnson said. “So if you’re up on the ridge … it protects those trees a little bit from the effects of especially cold weather. … It delays those flowers from growing (in the spring) and protects it from an unexpected frost.” The Lake Line: The railroad that connected Grand Rapids to the lakeshore The extra elevation also helps in the fall. “It does the same thing when the weather starts to get cooler, because all that air is coming off the lake, (the ridge) keeps it a little bit warmer into the fall. That really helps with harvesting,” Johnson said. Apples dominate the Fruit Ridge, but they are not the only fruit grown there. Several farmers on the ridge also grow peaches, pears, plums, nectarines and several kinds of berries. According to Ridge Economic Agricultural Partners, orchards on the Fruit Ridge is responsible for about 60% of Michigan’s apple crop. Johnson believes apples dominate the area because there’s a wide market for them and they have historically proven to be a successful crop there. Pigeon Hill: Another piece of West Michigan lost to time Once it is shown that it can work, it becomes a safe bet. Farmers can also share expertise and even infrastructure to get the fruit to market. “If you’re growing anything, it’s really important that whatever you’re growing has a place to go, so it can be processed and it can be packaged and then it can be sold,” Johnson said. Fall is a busy time for the farmers’ markets along the Fruit Ridge. REAP lists 40 markets/event spaces in the area and has an online guide with hours and details for each market.

• Fall Foliage Forecast: Oct. 1, 2026

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Colors are appearing across West Michigan getting deeper into the fall season. Maple tree in Dutton with orange and red leaves taking over. CURRENT FALL FOLIAGE Maple and aspen trees are showing the greatest changes moving into the month of October, with oak and beech trees next in line to display their autumn colors. Limited change has occurred closer to the lakeshore, with the influence of Lake Michigan moderating temperatures and preventing colors from taking off so far. However, the vast majority of the lower peninsula now has approximately 20% to 40% of trees changing colors. A small area near the Roscommon State Forest is seeing more of the colors begin to pop out partially due to the effects of higher elevation. Sign up for the Storm Team 8 daily forecast newsletter Meanwhile, the Upper Peninsula has moderate to high colors with the western half of the U.P. beginning to approach the peak of the season. Approximately 60% to 80% of trees have changed color toward the Ottawa National Forest. FALL OUTLOOK Recent rains have created dreary conditions across West Michigan. Wet and cloudy weather can sometimes create duller colors and contribute to leaves falling early. However, on balance, there has been a good amount of sunshine in September to assist in producing colors, coupled with cool nights and substantial spring and summer rains to prevent trees from being stressed. Storm Team 8 Forecast The overall outlook for the season is expected to be excellent and this weekend may provide some of our best conditions for looking at the leaves. Sunshine will be prevalent Friday and Saturday along with comfortable temperatures in the 60s. Look forward to great weather for touring the area and snapping pictures. Winds will pick up the pace on Sunday at around 10 to 15 mph, but it's unlikely to be strong enough to peel many leaves off the trees. Remember to share your pictures of the foliage with us by visiting woodtv.com/reportit and Storm Team 8 will keep you updated on the latest foliage conditions each week going forward through the fall.

• Researchers find a new way to look inside hurricanes

  EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — As heavy rain floods roads across El Paso and southern New Mexico, researchers have developed a new way to look inside hurricanes. They say the technology could eventually help scientists understand how powerful storms form and strengthen. Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington developed a mathematical method called Liutex to identify vortices — rotating structures within a hurricane. The university says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now uses the method to monitor hurricane development worldwide. The research comes during a difficult stretch of weather for the Borderland. Overnight storms prompted flash flood warnings in parts of El Paso and Doña Ana counties. More than 7,000 El Paso Electric customers across the region lost power early Wednesday. The rain also disrupted travel. El Paso police closed Scenic Drive in both directions after a large hole damaged the roadway. Flooding closed New Mexico state roads in both directions near Anthony and Sunland Park, and Doña Ana County urged drivers to avoid roads with running or standing water. Across the border in Ciudad Juárez, the Education Department suspended classes on all school levels, avoiding a tragedy. Authorities said heavy rain caused some classrooms at an elementary school to collapse, and several nearby homes sustained similar damage, including cracked or collapsed walls and concrete block fences. KTSM Chief Meteorologist Robert Bettes said a deep, persistent flow of moisture from Mexico’s Pacific coast has helped produce unusually heavy rain across Chihuahua, West Texas and southern New Mexico. “When we get thundershowers, they will unlock more rainfall than normally we would see in a regular monsoon,” Bettes said. UTA professor Chaoqun Liu has spent more than 36 years developing Liutex. He said traditional measurements can make it difficult to tell whether air inside a storm is rotating or moving in another way known as shear. Liutex separates the two. “In many cases, most of the vorticity is actually shear rather than rotation,” Liu said. His team’s simulations show that a hurricane can contain hundreds, thousands or even millions of smaller vortices interacting with one another. Liu believes understanding those interactions could help answer fundamental questions about how hurricanes develop. “We want to understand the mechanisms of hurricane formation and development,” Liu said. “Why are hurricanes so powerful? Where does that energy come from? We believe vortices are a key part of the answer.” Bettes said a high-pressure system over Texas can carry Pacific moisture across Sonora and into the Borderland. He is watching Hurricane Polo off Mexico’s Pacific coast, but its path is still uncertain. Forecasters have not determined whether Polo will bring rain to El Paso next week. Liu said a better understanding of hurricane structure could eventually improve forecasts. Liutex does not currently predict local flash floods like those impacting the Borderland. For drivers facing flooded streets now, Bettes had more immediate advice. “Don’t chance your safety in a flood,” he said. “We know the floodwaters will recede and there are other ways to get around.” Aracely Lazcano can be reached at alazcano@borderreport.com

• Fall Foliage Forecast: Sep. 24, 2026

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The autumn season may have officially started Tuesday, but a lot of green continues to stick in the trees throughout West Michigan. Drone photo over Prairie Wolf Park in Gaines Township on Sept. 24. CURRENT FALL FOLIAGE While a few trees have started to put on a show, the overall changes have been limited. Sign up for the Storm Team 8 daily forecast newsletter The greatest switch to fall colors in the state is happening across the western Upper Peninsula, including cities like Iron Mountain. You may see an occasional pop of yellow, orange or red around Grand Rapids. Most of the change to this point in the season on the Lower Peninsula is confined to the north near Gaylord. Maple, cottonwood and honey locust are the trees you'll want to watch in the coming days for an early turn. It takes a little while longer for colors to emerge in oak, aspen and birch trees. COLORS MAY STICK AROUND LONGER While colors have been slow to start, it's shaping up to be a strong season for fall foliage moving forward. A lack of moisture can sometimes stress trees causing an earlier change, less vibrant colors, along with an early leaf drop. Currently, most of West Michigan has an adequate amount of moisture from recent rains. Cooler temperatures and sunny skies can signal a quicker switch into autumn colors. Temperatures have been fairly mild and that will likely continue moving forward given a strong El Niño unfolding in the Pacific Ocean. All of these factors in tandem should lead to a slow, gradual switch into long-lasting autumn colors (barring any major wind events). Storm Team 8 Forecast WEEKEND OUTLOOK The first weekend of fall in West Michigan will feature comfortable temperatures plus a good quantity of sunshine. Daytime highs will top off near 70 degrees while lows at night become a bit brisk in the mid-40s. If you happen to snap a standout picture of the fall colors, make sure to share it with us. Storm Team 8 will keep you updated on the current foliage conditions throughout the fall season.

• Ask Ellen: Could the new Roman telescope allow us to detect aliens?

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Advancements in technology, like the James Webb and Nancy Grace Roman Telescopes, may bring humanity one step closer to answering whether we are alone in the universe. While they likely won't capture images of spaceships flying between distant planets, combining the two telescopes could help scientists discover distant planets where water or carbon-based life once existed. Each telescope has a different advantage. The James Webb telescope has higher-resolution capabilities and can see farther out into space (which is also farther back in time). The Nancy Grace Roman telescope will capture images 50 times larger than those of the James Webb, accelerating scientists' ability to spot anomalies or zones of interest. The James Webb Space Telescope has already produced stunning images from deep space. Brand new stars bursting into existence, black holes consuming in the distance and exoplanets with new and interesting compositions. This nebula is called "Pillars of Creation" was captured in October 2022. Pillars of Creation, James Webb Telescope, NASA The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launched in August 2026. The instruments onboard are still calibrating, and the first images are expected in 2027. The larger scope will allow for wider views of space. Ideally, scientists hope to use Webb and Roman together to speed up their exploration of space. Roman will find anomalies, and Webb will zoom in and get a detailed look at zones of interest. In this way, the two telescopes may better identify planets that once contained water (as they are looking out into space and therefore back in time), as well as carbon-based matter. They will also be used to crack the mysteries still engulfing black holes, exoplanets and star births in deep space. The telescopes won't be able to spot spaceships, but if there is anything anomalous caught in the lens, the human race is certainly more equipped to detect it with the instrumentation on board.

• Weekend rain could lead to flooding, several inches

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Rain will impact West Michigan moving through the weekend. Precipitation rates on Saturday morning were heavy at times and included a few booms of thunder with the more intense downpours. A system sliding through Iowa with a warm front will stall out, dragging precipitation to our south this afternoon. The afternoon likely won't feature more than some drizzle and very light rain, though it'll be a struggle to completely dry-out. Additional rain will start to generate toward the sunset timeframe Saturday and then continue into Sunday morning, with embedded thunderstorms possible. Inside woodtv.com: Radar The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has highlighted those along and south of I-96 in a risk of flooding, with an even higher risk in the far southwest corner of the state. A Flood Watch has also been issued for southwest Michigan where 2 to 4 inches of rain may fall through Sunday morning. The area between I-96 and I-94 is the zone that Storm Team 8 is focused on for likely picking up the greatest totals from this weekend's disturbance. Sign up for the Storm Team 8 daily forecast newsletter The rain will be beneficial. Grand Rapids is currently tracking 0.64 inches below average for September. Kalamazoo is 0.43 inches above average for September.

• Ask Ellen: Fall Foliage Forecast of 2026

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Fall color happens every year because of daylight, but Michigan's 2026 Fall season will likely shift later because of a strong El Niño forming in the equatorial Pacific. Water temperatures off the west coast of South America near the equator often impact the storm track over America, especially in the cooler months. A very strong El Niño is already being detected and is forecast to strengthen as Fall deepens and winter arrives. This will likely affect fall color displays this coming season. El Niño impact on Fall Foliage in Michigan Reliable data for El Niño and La Nina events spans back to the 1950s when official record keeping began. Since then, strong El Niño events have become more common, with the current warming trend off the shore of South America the warmest ever for this time of the year. To see how this year's strong (or perhaps even "super" El Niño) may impact fall colors in Michigan, it is important to look at previous Fall seasons that also had strong El Niño events. The best matches are 1997 and 2015, which were super El Niño years with bullseyes of heat in a similar spot to where we are seeing the warmest waters now. Both of these historical years had Michigan leaning warmer and drier than average, which is usual for the entire Fall season. That being said, currently only the Western U.P. is still experiencing active drought. Most of Michigan has decent ground moisture, allowing for healthy trees through the Fall season and reducing early stress-drop of leaves. Fall 2026 foliage forecast compared to average Fall colors have been pretty inconsistent in Michigan. Drought and weekly weather can greatly affect color vibrancy, the timing of the change, and how quickly trees drop their leaves. On average, the Western U.P. changes first, with peak color arriving at the end of September. West Michigan usually sees peak color right around Halloween, with some lakeshore areas delaying until early November. This season, warmer temperatures through the end of September will naturally begin bumping fall color back a bit. Rounds of rain through the third week of September will help keep drought in check, and tree stress lower into October. While weekly weather trends will ultimately drive the color change Michigan experiences, a nudge toward warmer, drier conditions from a strong El Niño will likely push peak color back by at least a week, if not two weeks for West Michigan. Drier conditions may lead to earlier leaf drop in spots. Any time a fall color show leans late, there is always a threat of a strong freeze to hit and end the show early. A hard freeze or unusually windy period can bring a quick end to even the most promising seasons. Happy color spotting, Michigan! Send the Storm Team 8 team your weekly foliage pictures to keep us in the loop. Upload them by heading to woodtv.com/reportit.

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Chief Meteorologist Ellen Bacca (and husband Mark) welcomed their first child over the weekend, with the birth of Piper Sunny. Check out these sweet pictures<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurricane Lee continues to slowly track toward the United States. Click here for the latest on intensity and path<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday brought plenty of sunshine and calm conditions. Bill’s Blog dives into what is currently the calmest day of 2023.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WEATHER WEAR<\/strong>
Rain Jacket
Umbrella<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TODAY<\/strong>
Widespread Rain Developing
Pockets of Locally Heavy Rain
HIGH:<\/strong> 67
LOW:<\/strong> 55
WINDS: SE 5-10 mph<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUNRISE<\/strong> 7:17 a.m.
SUNSET<\/strong> 7:59 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TODAY<\/strong> Take along the rain jacket and umbrella as you head out the door, as widespread rain will be rolling through the area today. The most concentrated rain will prevail during the morning hours, with the rain becoming more scattered in nature late in the day. Amounts will range from 0.10-0.50+ and will likely be localized. Otherwise, expect overcast skies and highs in the mid-upper 60s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TUESDAY<\/strong> – WEDNESDAY<\/strong> Scattered showers continue for most of Tuesday before tapering off Wednesday morning. Cooler temperatures arrive with highs in the low to mid-60s. It will be breezy as winds come from the north at 10-20 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THURSDAY <\/strong> Cool and quiet conditions will prevail with more sunshine and highs in the mid-upper 60s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FRIDAY <\/strong> Plenty of sunshine is on tap, with slightly warmer air returning to the area. Afternoon highs will reach the mid-70s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WEEKEND WEATHER<\/strong> Sunshine will continue to dominate over the weekend, with highs in the low-mid 70.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOOKING AHEAD<\/strong> The overall pattern remains mostly dry and warmer than “average” into the fourth week of September, with the 8 to 14 day outlook placing West Michigan in a drier and warmer-than-normal pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n