The weather today and tonight is shaping up to be rather active, according to the National Weather Service.
A cold front moving through the Mississippi Valley will collide with very warm air today; look for highs around 88. Strong south winds ahead of the front may produce wind gusts to 30 to 40 mph by the afternoon. Wind advisories are posted for northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula
Thunderstorms will develop over the Upper Midwest this afternoon and evening, and then move east during the late evening and overnight.
Meteorologists say that strong dynamics will be in place to produce severe thunderstorms, especially across Wisconsin and Illinois. However, given that the storms will arrive in Lower Michigan well after sunset, they will likely lose some of their strength. Lake Michigan is still very cold, and the cold water could pull some of the power out of the storms.
Forecasters expect a mix of strong to severe storms to arrive in southwest and central Lower Michigan around midnight and then move east.
Get the latest forecast for Isabella County here, Gratiot County here and Clare County here.
That said -- don't panic when Isabella County emergency managers test the county's sirens at 3 p.m. today.