DETROIT – That was an interesting batch of rain that came through yesterday afternoon.
Most of us didn’t get much -- less than a 10th of an inch of rain. However, a couple of heavy downpours developed which, combined with the storm’s slow movement, gave a few of you a lot more.
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For example, one lucky weather observer 4.6 miles east-northeast of Utica received 0.70" yesterday, while another fortunate observer 2.1 miles west-northwest of Ann Arbor picked up 0.56" of rain. But, again, most of us received a lot less than that, which might have been enough to give our newly planted flowers a small drink, but sure wasn’t enough to put a dent in our longer term dryness.
Think of it this way: Detroit Metro Airport only received 0.17" of total rain the last two weeks of May, and only 0.04" yesterday. The ground is very dry and, with the exception of those of you who got the good soaker yesterday, we desperately need some rain.
Don’t look for any rain tonight or tomorrow. Skies will be mostly clear overnight, with very comfortable lows in the mid 50s (that’s 12° Celsius for our Canadian friends using the metric system). Very light northwest wind.
Friday forecast
Mostly sunny on Friday -- a beautiful day to end the short work week, and a spectacular day at the Comerica Bank Free Prix Day on Belle Isle. If we’re not going to get any much-needed rain, we might as well have a day like this, with highs in the upper 70s to near 80° (26° Celsius). Northwest wind at 4 to 8 mph.
Friday’s sunrise is at 5:58 AM, and Friday’s sunset is at 9:05 PM.
Mostly clear Friday night, with lows near 60° (15° Celsius).
Saturday forecast
Mostly sunny to start on Saturday, with clouds starting to increase during the afternoon. I think any approaching rain will hold off until either very late in the afternoon, or the evening hours, which is good news for the Grand Prix races. But still, it’ll be a close call for the end of the Saturday race, so I suggest checking the radar every so often on our FREE Local4Casters app to stay ahead of the weather. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@PGLocal4 and @Local4Casters), as I’ll tweet radar updates if the need arises. Highs Saturday near 80° (27° Celsius).
Showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday night, with lows near 60° (16° Celsius).
Sunday forecast
Sunday is still real tricky: The overnight band of showers and storms should end during the morning hours. However, additional scattered activity could pop up by midday. The aerial coverage and timing of these showers and possible thunderstorms will obviously be key to Sunday’s race. Stay tuned. Highs Sunday, with the increased cloud cover, should only be in the mid 70s (24° Celsius).
Scattered showers are still possible Sunday night, with lows in the mid to upper 50s (14° Celsius).
Next week
Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy on Monday, with scattered showers developing. Highs in the low 70s (22° Celsius).
Showers diminish Monday night, with lows in the mid 50s (12° Celsius).
Partly cloudy on Tuesday (some models still try to keep a stray shower around, but I’m maintaining a dry day for now), with highs only near 70° (21° Celsius).
Wednesday looks spectacular, with mostly sunny skies and very comfortable afternoon highs reaching the mid 70s (25° Celsius).