DETROIT – Our weather scenario for the next two days appears to be playing out exactly as expected.
A steady rain will overspread the area tonight, crossing the Michigan/Ohio state line probably around 8 p.m., and move steadily northward from there. The rain will become heavy at times overnight, but our very dry soil moisture will allow the ground to soak up a lot of water. However, concrete areas -- most notably roads -- cannot soak up the water, so watch out for potential urban flooding if you'll be out driving late at night.
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**HERE'S SOMETHING WE ALL MUST DO BEFORE THE RAIN ARRIVES:
If you have storm drains on your street that are covered with leaves or debris, clear those drains immediately! With the sheer amount of rain we have coming tonight through tomorrow morning, it is imperative to give that water access to flow into those drains. The same is true if you have a roadside ditch (also called a culvert) running up and down your street. Make sure that any excessive tree and leaf debris is cleared out of those ditches, so the water can run down to the storm drains.
Temperatures tonight should bottom out around 50° (10° Celsius for our Canadian neighbors), which will actually occur early tonight as temperatures likely rise into the mid to upper 50s (15° Celsius) toward dawn. Wind will blow from the east at 10 to 20 mph (an old saying says that "an east wind is an ill wind," and this certainly proves true tonight).
Wednesday forecast:
We'll start our Wednesday with a continuation of the steady rain, so you might as well plan on a very slow morning rush hour…you can take that one to the bank. Steady rain will transition to more of a showery pattern during the afternoon, with highs near 60° (16° Celsius). Wind will shift to the southeast, and then to the south at 15 to 25 mph. Right now, I expect rain amounts of around 1.5 inches across our area, and possibly more.
Wednesday's sunrise is at 8:01 a.m., and Wednesday's sunset is at 6:32 p.m.
Rain showers continue Wednesday night, and the wind will increase -- gust between 30 and 40 mph are possible. Lows in the low to mid 40s (6° Celsius).
Thursday forecast:
Mostly cloudy and very windy on Thursday with scattered rain showers, and some wet snowflakes are certainly not out of the question. Wind could gust between 40 and 50 mph, so it's possible that the National Weather Service will need to issue a Wind Advisory at some point…although they are still monitoring the potential and have not issued one yet. Stay tuned. Highs only in the upper 40s (9° Celsius).
Partly cloudy Thursday night, with lows in the mid to upper 30s (3° Celsius).
Weekend foreacst:
Mostly sunny on Friday, with highs in the low 50s (11° Celsius).
Mostly clear Friday night, with lows in the upper 30s (4° Celsius).
Increasing clouds on Saturday, with highs in the mid 50s (13° Celsius).
The Halloween forecast is a very close call. It's impossible to try and time something down to the exact hour four days in advance, and I won't try -- that would be irresponsible of me. However, I will say that today's long range computer models suggest that any showers will hold off until mid-evening. This is a razor thin margin of error -- being off by just an hour or two would mean all the difference. I will provide specific details as I develop greater confidence in the developing weather pattern. But right now, I advise thinking about getting the kids out the door as early as possible based upon the trends I'm seeing today. Temperatures during Trick or Treating should be in the upper 40s (8° Celsius), with overnight lows in the low to mid 40s (6° Celsius).
Daylight Saving Time reminder
**DON'T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR BEFORE YOU GO TO BED SATURDAY NIGHT. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep!
Sunday may begin with some showers, but today's models try to limit any rain to the morning hours. Highs in the mid to upper 50s (14° Celsius).