Metro Detroit weather: Snow potential starting to ramp up heading toward Christmas

Deep freeze finally ends Friday

DETROIT – Expect an active forecast going into the Christmas holiday, as the snow potential is starting to ramp up.

Minor thaw

We’ll finally make it out of the deep freeze Friday. Highs will creep up to normal, in the mid-30s.

Weekend highs should touch 40 degrees both days. Morning lows will be just below freezing.

Next week, we’ll carry over that milder air, even adding a couple degrees to the forecast Monday and Wednesday.

Rain/snow quick hitters

We’ve got quite a few rain and snow chances in the forecast between now and the end of next week. None of them look like major players, just some nuisance precipitation.

The next chance arrives Saturday evening, with a weakening front. Most of the moisture from that system should hang out in the northern part of the state, but rain and snow showers are possible.

Chances get a bit better overnight through the first half of Sunday morning. Monday brings a few scattered rain showers, too.

White Christmas chance

Temperatures will start dropping on Christmas Eve after a relatively mild start to next week. Highs will stay below freezing on Dec. 24, so some late rain and snow Wednesday will transition to all snow by Thursday morning.

That will be followed up with lake-effect streamers through the day. Will it be enough to put down an inch or more (from the official definition)? I’d say it’s a good chance.

Plus, with Christmas Day highs only reaching the mid-20s, whatever does show up Thursday will likely hang around even past the official measurement time of 7 a.m. Expect some flurries on Christmas Day. They probably won’t add to any accumulation, but just add to the holiday aesthetics.

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About the Author

Ben loves his job at Local 4 because broadcast meteorology challenges him to crack Mother Nature’s code, then find new and creative ways to tell that story to people.

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