DETROIT – There are many signs of spring. For some, it’s the first robin of spring (actually, they don’t all fly south for the winter, but it’s still nice to see that first robin).
For meteorologists, it’s March 1st - the start of meteorological spring. For astronomers, it’s March 20th…the vernal equinox.
But for Detroiters, the surest sign of spring is Detroit Tigers Opening Day, probably the most universally celebrated holiday we have here. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wants us to see our first baseball of the season played in football weather!
Today will start with some sunshine, with temperatures between 25° and 30° (that’s -4° to -1° Celsius for our Canadian friends across the river).
Clouds will increase later this morning and, while there still could be some sun at the start of the game, we’ll cloud over pretty quick as the game progresses.
A very compact, but very dynamic storm system will approach by late afternoon, and there’s the possibility that we could see a few light rain or snow showers toward the end of the Tigers victory over the Yankees. Temperatures should rise into the low 40s (6° Celsius), with a west wind at 7 to 14 mph making it feel cooler.
The bulk of the precipitation should hold off until after the game, but be prepared for a few rain drops or snowflakes either during the later innings, or during your walk back to the car. Any rain in the area should change to all snow by 6:00-7:00 PM, and a heavier band of snow will set up over the area for the early evening period. Today’s sunset is at 8:08 PM.
The most difficult part of this forecast is trying to determine exactly where this snow band will cross the area. It’s going to be a narrow band, as you see in the above computer model output for 8:00 PM, some of us (especially to the north) won’t see much, while others (especially Washtenaw, Lenawee and Monroe Counties) could conceivably pick up a solid couple of inches…perhaps even a bit more if you stay under that band longer. The fact that this snow will fall when the sun is low in the sky and then after sunset means that there will be less melting than if it were to fall during the day.
All of us have the potential for snow showers overnight after that main band moves south of the state line, and developing cold north-northeast wind flowing over Lake Huron will set up some lake effect snow bands that will drop some additional accumulation over areas that stay under those bands the longest (best chance for this is in the Thumb). Lows tonight in the mid 20s (-4° Celsius) means that any wet pavement could freeze and become icy…be careful if you’ll be out late tonight or tomorrow morning.
A few north-to-south lake effect snow bands will continue into Saturday morning, but should diminish by early afternoon across most areas. Saturday will be our coldest day of this cold snap, with highs only in the mid 30s (1° Celsius).
Mostly clear Saturday evening, then increasing clouds after midnight with near record lows around 20° (-7° Celsius), and colder temps in suburban locales.
I’ve had to accelerate the timetable for Sunday’s precipitation, as our next storm system appears to move in a little faster now. The day should start cloudy, with a solid burst of snow developing during the morning. That snow will transition to sleet (little balls of ice) as warmer air pushes in…but initially flows up above the cold layer of surface air. Eventually, this will all changeover to rain during the afternoon. One thing I need to keep an eye on is how long the snow and sleet lasts before changing to rain, because it’s possible that we could be facing more accumulation, which eventually will melt. Highs on Sunday should eventually reach the low to mid 40s (6° Celsius). By the way, Sunday is one of Detroit’s most interesting weather records: our greatest single-day temperature rise! On April 10, 1977, we had a 51 degree rise from the morning low of 35° (1.5° Celsius) to the afternoon high of 86° (30° Celsius)! What a day THAT was!
Rain is likely Sunday night, which means potential trouble for the Sunday night nationally televised Tiger game against the Yankees that some brilliant network executives thought would be a good idea. What in the world were they thinking? Even if it’s dry, on most years an April night game in Detroit is very cold. I’m not sure which is more embarrassing: that they didn’t think about this, or did and didn’t care. Unbelievable. By the way, temperatures Sunday night should remain steady near 40° (4° Celsius).
Rain showers Monday morning should end, followed by at least partial afternoon sunshine. Highs in the low 50s (11° Celsius).
I know that most people are frustrated with the temporary regression in our spring weather but, as I’ve told you all week long, that’s coming to an end next week. The period from Tuesday into the weekend looks dry right now, with quite a bit of sunshine. Temperatures will rise all week long…take a look at this:
Tuesday: 45° (7° Celsius)
Wednesday: 48° (9° Celsius)
Thursday: 52° (11° Celsius)
Friday: 58° (14° Celsius)
Weekend: near 60° (16° Celsius)
Spring will finally spring!
• Download for iPhone
• Download for Android