DETROIT – As expected, Monday’s light snow that bulged westward from that big east coast storm didn’t have much impact on our local weather, and we now have a couple of quieter days ahead.
But don’t let your guard down -- some serious winter weather is on the way.
Today will feature mostly cloudy skies, but some of us this morning may get some fuzzy sun through mid-level clouds. Clouds will then start eroding from west to east this afternoon. Those west of I-275 stand a better chance of seeing any meaningful mid-to-late afternoon sunshine, while the Thumb will be the last to see the clouds leave.
Highs near 30 degrees (-1 degree Celsius) will feel more like low 20s (-6 degrees Celsius) due to a northwest wind at 10 to 15 mph.
Today’s sunrise is at 7:45 a.m., and today’s sunset is at 5:49 p.m.
Gradual clearing will continue Tuesday night, although the Thumb may remain partly cloudy. Lows in the mid teens (-9 degrees Celsius), but colder in our western rural areas that start the evening clear and maximize their radiational cooling potential.
Wednesday is likely going to be our nicest day of the next 10 days, so get out and enjoy the sunshine and low 30s (0 degrees Celsius) afternoon highs. Even the wind will be relatively light…what a spectacular winter day.
Increasing clouds Wednesday night, with lows in the mid-to-upper teens (-8 degrees Celsius).
Thursday, Friday forecast
Becoming cloudy on Thursday, and snow will develop in the late afternoon. Afternoon highs in the mid 30s (1 degree Celsius), with temps actually rising a bit more Thursday evening.
Speaking of Thursday evening, today’s computer models are not as robust with the surge of warmer air coming in ahead of the approaching cold front. In fact, what was looking like a complete changeover to rain the past few days is now looking much less likely.
I’ll need another day to get a better handle on the thermodynamic profile aloft but, right now, it appears that there could be some change to rain or a mix in the southern part of the area, and perhaps remaining all snow in the north (but we all will start as snow).
IF there’s a change to rain, then all we get is an inch or two of snow before that changeover. However, those that stay all snow could end up between two and three inches. Obviously, this is not a whopper of a snow storm and most of it will be falling in the evening, but it’s still worth monitoring.
The first of two strong cold fronts crosses the area late Thursday night. Remember that a cold front is simply the front edge of a colder air mass. And the two air masses coming in are the coldest we’ve seen this season -- and perhaps in a couple of years.
Friday will be windy with a possibly non-impactful snow shower, but the real story is the temperature, which will slowly fall through the 20s (-2 to -5 degrees Celsius) during the day, with wind chills between 0 and -5 degrees (-18 to -21 degrees Celsius). Something else to monitor is the wind gusts on Friday, which could easily exceed 40 mph.
Cloudy Friday night, with lows in the low teens (-11 degrees Celsius).
Weekend Arctic blast
Saturday will be cloudy and breezy, with highs only in the low 20s (-6 degrees Celsius), and wind chills again between 0 and -5 (-18 to -21 degrees Celsius).
Snow – possibly accumulating but not certain at this point – will develop on Sunday, with highs in the mid-to-upper teens (-8 degrees Celsius), and it’ll become windy -- wind chills will be around -15 degrees (-26 mid-to-upper teens (-8 degrees Celsius). Then the core of the Arctic air arrives on Monday -- an even colder day.