DETROIT – Today is the day marking one of the craziest weather records in Detroit history.
On this date in 1998, we received our first measurable snow of that season, making it Detroit’s latest first measurable snow on record.
As we moved through November without measurable snow, and then into the first week of this month with no snow, I started watching that record but, alas, it was not to be as we’ve had a pretty snowy second week of the month, including Wednesday’s 6.3 inches (officially at Metro Airport) that broke the day’s snow record.
Today's forecast
Snow that redeveloped over the area Friday night will steadily diminish through the morning and, by early afternoon, most of it should be gone. So, you Lions tailgaters shouldn't have any trouble getting down to Ford Field, as there will be plenty of time for the road crews to get some salt out -- not to mention that highs near 30 degrees (-1 degree Celsius) means that the salt will work very effectively.
Wind will be light and variable, so you won’t much wind chill to deal with, either. The only thing to keep an eye out for late this afternoon and early evening is the possibility for some light freezing drizzle, although salted roads won’t be impacted -- only bare pavement that hasn't been salted could develop any ice if the freezing drizzle materializes.
Since the game is airing exclusively on Local 4, there will be lots of Lions parties all across town. Not invited to one? No problem…order some pizza and invite some friends over! Nobody does a Lions game like Local 4! Our coverage starts at 4:00 p.m.
Today’s sunrise is at 7:56 a.m., and today’s sunset is at 5:02 p.m.
Cloudy skies prevail overnight, with lows in the low 20s (-5 degrees Celsius), and a very light northeast wind.
Cloudy on Sunday, with highs in the mid 30s (2 degrees Celsius).
Sunday, Monday forecast
Clouds prevail Sunday night and Monday, with lows Sunday night in the low 30s (0 to 1 degree Celsius), and highs Monday near 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius).
A cold front crosses the area Tuesday morning, but I don’t see much moisture associated with it right now, so I think it’ll come through dry. It will become partly cloudy and get windy behind the front, though, and temperatures will likely begin to fall as well. Highs before the front gets here will probably approach 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius).
Partly cloudy on Wednesday, with highs in the mid 30s (1 degree Celsius).
Mostly cloudy on Thursday, with highs in the upper 30s (3 to 4 degrees Celsius).
Our next storm approaches on Friday, and today’s computer models cannot possibly project an exact track this far in advance. Some models give us more rain than snow, and some models give us more snow than rain. Stay tuned -- the Local4Casters will monitor this storm closely through the week.
Christmas Travel Weather
Since Christmas is next weekend, that makes next week a huge travel week across the nation. So here are some maps using the ECMWF model showing you midday travel weather from this coming Tuesday all the way through Christmas Day.
In terms of travel around here, our focus will be on the storm mid-week dropping southeast from the Rockies and then swinging up our way.
These storms typically become pretty solid winter storms, but who gets snow and travel delays and who gets rain will be entirely dependent upon the storm’s exact path and, given that we’re several days out, we’ll have to keep an eye on the models.
Another concern is the rain and possible snow that could affect the east next weekend into Christmas Day. Again, we’ll have to wait a few days to hone in on the details.
The Local4Casters will monitor, and keep you updated!