DETROIT – Clearing skies this afternoon were a welcome sign -- not only for the sunshine it brought, but also because those clear skies tonight will give us a shot at seeing the annual Quandrantid Meteor Shower!
Like most of our meteor showers, the best time to look is in the predawn hours, because the radiant -- the part of the sky where the meteors appear to originate from -- is highest in the sky, and there’s a great heavenly guide pointing you to the Quandrantids’ radiant.
Recommended Videos
As you see in the accompanying graphic, if you can find the Big Dipper, you know where to look! And we have something in our favor this year: no moonlight. That makes the sky darker and allows us to see some of the fainter meteors. However, unlike most of the other annual meteor showers, where Earth passes through a wide dust trail left behind by a passing comet, the Quandrantids' dust trail is more narrow. So, this meteor shower is more of a “feast or famine” event. If we happen to be out at the right time, we could see a lot of them but, outside of that window, it may be just a few. Unfortunately, predicting Earth’s exact passage through that dust trail is very challenging. Let us know on Twitter (@Local4Casters and @PGLocal4) if you see any!
Even though we’ll have clear skies overnight, temperatures won’t drop much, with lows generally in the upper 20s to low 30s (between 0 and -2 degrees Celsius). Wind will blow from the southwest at 8 to 12 mph.
Mostly sunny on Friday (TGIF -- and yes, you can still say TGIF on a holiday week), with highs soaring into the mid to upper 40s (8 to 9 degrees Celsius). Southwest wind at 8 to 12 mph.
Friday’s sunrise is at 8:02 a.m., and Friday’s sunset is at 5:14 p.m.
Mostly clear Friday night, with lows near 30 degrees (-1 degree Celsius).
At this point, Saturday looks mostly sunny to partly cloudy, with highs in the mid 40s (7 degrees Celsius). Today’s computer models have developed some differences in how much cloud cover we’ll have Saturday, but right now, we think that we’ll keep some sunshine through the day.
Increasing clouds Saturday night as a cold front approaches. Fortunately, the atmosphere will be too dry for the front to generate any precipitation. Lows in the low 30s (0 degrees Celsius).
Mostly cloudy on Sunday, with highs near 40 degrees (5 degrees Celsius).
Cloudy Sunday night, with the chance for some light snow or wintry mix to develop late at night. Lows in the low 30s (0 degrees Celsius).
Monday begins with light snow or a wintry mix, with all of this changing over to rain as we warm back up into the upper 40s (9 degrees Celsius). One thing we’re watching is the possibility for some strong wind gusts with any Monday afternoon / evening showers, as the wind aloft will potentially be quite strong. It won’t take much of a shower to bring some of that wind down to the surface.
Breezy rain continues Monday night, ending later at night. Temperatures will initially hold nearly steady in the mid 40s (7 degrees Celsius), and then start falling late at night after the cold front passes by.
Breezy with scattered snow showers on Tuesday, and temperatures falling into the mid 30s (3 degrees Celsius).
Mostly cloudy and still breezy on Wednesday, with highs in the mid 30s (3 degrees Celsius).
Partly cloudy on Thursday, with highs near 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius).
There’s a chance of rain and snow showers on Friday (VERY low confidence in this part of the forecast), with highs near 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius).