DETROIT – Low, gray clouds have prevailed this morning, but dry air is also moving southward and should give us at least some breaks this afternoon.
However, since it’s a north to south process, those of us farther south will be the last to get any sunshine, if any. Highs will be cooler than yesterday, generally topping out near 50 degrees (10 degrees Celsius), as long as we get that sun. Northeast wind at 4 to 8 mph means that those of you near the big lakes on the east side will be cooler.
Today's sunrise was at 7:24 a.m., and today's sunset is at 7:54 p.m.
Rain returns tonight, with lows in the low 40s (5 degrees Celsius). Northeast wind at 5 to 10 mph
Saturday forecast
We start our day Saturday with a cold, steady rain north of a warm front that will be draped across Indiana and Ohio. However, high-resolution computer models suggest that we could conceivably get a break in the rain at some point in the afternoon. Naturally, those of you who have our free Local4Casters weather app can monitor this yourself on the radar if you really need to head out for a jog or walk around the neighborhood. Temperatures north of the warm front will only be in the mid to upper 40s (8 to 9 degrees Celsius), with a northeast wind at 5 to 10 mph.
If you've been following my articles all week, you know that our Saturday night weather hinges mightily on the movement of the aforementioned warm front. It appears that the front will make a move far enough north that we will get into the approaching system's warm sector for a short period Saturday night. When that front comes through, temperatures will quickly rocket into the upper 50s to near 60 degrees (14 to 15 degrees Celsius). Showers and thunderstorms will also return as the front makes its move. If any stronger storms develop NORTH of the front, then some hail would be possible. SOUTH of the front, any thunderstorms that develop could have strong wind gusts. By the way, the biggest severe weather threat Saturday is across the northern half of Illinois, where a tornado outbreak is possible.
Saturday night into Sunday
The Saturday night warm front will be quickly followed by a strong cold front late Saturday night. As long as the cold front clears the area before dawn Sunday (which I think at this point that it will), we will see temps quickly drop into the upper 40s (9 degrees Celsius) to start the day, with only a small rise in temps during the day. There will be a dry slot immediately behind the front, which will give us some sunshine at dawn, but don’t be fooled...clouds will return and a stray shower or two is possible during the afternoon.
The bigger weather story on Sunday will be the wind, which will blow from the southwest at 20 to 30 mph, with gusts to (or even above) 40 mph possible.
Again, it's going to be a wild weekend of weather. Follow all of the big changes on the Local4Casters weather app...it's truly the best weather app in the nation. Why? Because we designed it ourselves right here at Local 4. It's free...just go to the app store and search under WDIV. If you're one of the few who doesn't have it, what are you waiting for? This is the PERFECT weekend to have it.
Also, follow me on Twitter for personalized updates through the weekend. You can find me at @PGLocal4.