Rain, snow, wind, tumbling temperatures hitting Metro Detroit this week -- what to know

Rain showers become more widespread across Southeast Michigan through the morning and continue this afternoon until fizzling out this evening.

Highs today will be around 50, but a strong cold front is on schedule for Wednesday morning and that will bring sharply different conditions from whipping winds, to colder air and a changeover from rain to snow.

Westerly wind gusts of 35-40 mph are expected Wednesday, with a chance of gusts around 45 mph by afternoon. Lake effect snow showers ramp up Wednesday night through Thanksgiving Day and linger into Thursday night.

Thanksgiving forecast

Plan for a surge of colder temperatures by Thanksgiving morning. Wind chills will be in the teens to low 20s along the parade route. Wind gusts will still be around 30-35 mph on Thursday which could impact the large balloons down Woodward Avenue for the parade. From Wednesday evening through the weekend, we could see anywhere from a half an inch of snow to two inches. The accumulations are highly dependent on where the lake effect bands setup.

This weekend

We could see flurries during the Michigan game on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Highs remain in the 30s through the weekend with a wintry mix looking likely Sunday into Monday which could make the remainder of holiday travel tricky across the state.