A developing storm system will once again raise wind concerns as we head into the second half of the weekend.
Sound familiar? It should, because we just went through that two Sundays ago. It won’t be that bad this time but, if today’s projections pan out, then a Wind Advisory may need to be issued. We’ll dive deeper into this in a moment…let’s first take care the forecast leading up to that.
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Tonight
Although clouds will increase tonight, especially over the southern half of the area, most of these will be mid-level clouds, and we’ll remain dry. Temperatures will drop into the mid teens (-9 degrees Celsius), with calm air…no wind chill!
Friday
Mid-level clouds to start the day Friday (TGIF!) should thin out, leaving us partly cloudy for the rest of the day. Temperatures will continue their upward trend, peaking in the mid 30s (3 degrees Celsius), with a light southeast wind.
Friday’s sunrise is at 6:57 a.m., and Friday’s sunset is at 6:31 p.m.
Partly cloudy Friday night, with lows in the low 20s (-5 degrees Celsius).
Saturday
We should start Saturday with at least partial sunshine, but clouds will increase and rain will approach by late afternoon / early evening. The rain will be moving from southwest to northeast, so those in Lenawee County will see it first…possibly by 5:00 p.m., with the Thumb staying dry the latest.
Highs around 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius) won’t be too hard to take.
We’ll see a nine-hour period of rain Saturday night, with a half-inch to three-quarters-of-an-inch likely.
Temperatures could actually rise into the mid to upper 40s (7 to 9 degrees Celsius) overnight Saturday night, but then drop back down after the cold front passes by toward dawn Sunday.
Sunday
Most of the day Sunday should be dry, with afternoon highs probably in the low 40s (5 degrees Celsius). As mentioned above, of greater concern is Sunday’s wind. It’ll already be breezy when we wake up Sunday morning, but the wind will increase during the day.
Sustained (meaning continuous) wind will likely be 20 to 30 mph, but gusts to or even above 40 mph are possible.
The wind gust potential will be enhanced if we get any sunshine…that increases mixing in the lower atmosphere and enhances the potential for stronger wind aloft to be tapped and brought down to the surface.
By comparison, the big wind event two weeks ago had numerous 50 to 60 mph gusts. It won’t be that bad this time, but even 40 mph gusts can stress trees and cause scattered power outages.
Next week
Mostly cloudy on Monday, with highs around 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius).
Mostly sunny on Tuesday…it’ll be a spectacular day with light wind and mild highs reaching the low to mid 40s (6 degrees Celsius). Outdoor recess for everybody! Especially adults…
Increasing clouds on Wednesday with a chance of showers moving in at some point during the afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees (9 to 10 degrees Celsius).
And now, here’s a special treat for those of you who decided to read this far in the article: Thursday will become breezy with a chance of showers (possibly even a thunderstorm), and today’s computer models suggest that we’ll get solidly into this storm system’s warm sector.
If this verifies, then temperatures will soar into the mid to upper 50s…and perhaps near 60 degrees toward the state line (14 to 15 degrees Celsius). Stay tuned!
But here’s the bad news: after this warm day, the upper air pattern seems to be retreating back to a below-average temperature pattern that’ll stick around for a while. Sorry.
The time change is this weekend
Remember…this weekend we set our clocks AHEAD one hour before going to bed Saturday night.
This is the more important of the two time changes because, if you forget to change your clocks, you’ll be one hour LATE for whatever you have planned Sunday morning.
Yes, we lose an hour of sleep, but that’s easily managed by going to bed a little earlier Saturday night. Plus, we shift one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening…we love having that daylight on our warm summer evenings, don’t we?
Also, please remember that it is called Daylight Saving Time, NOT Daylight Savings Time. We don’t know why so many people put an “s” on the end of “saving.” Perhaps it’s the same reason old-timers called Ford “Fords” and Meijer “Meijers”.
Weather Radio Campaign
By now, you’ve heard about the terrible tornado tragedy down south. Twenty-three people died, and ninety others were injured. Some of the survivors were quoted as saying that they had no warning, and only had a few seconds between the time they heard the storm, and the time their house started ripping apart. The fact is that most of these people would have had a LOT of warning about the approaching tornado if they simply had a NOAA Weather Radio.
Local 4 has conducted an annual weather radio campaign for many years now…and as a direct result of our campaign, between 40,000 and 45,000 of these life-saving radios have been purchased. Our campaign continues this year at Meijer stores and, for planning purposes, here are the dates for our live broadcasts: