Metro Detroit weather: Few Friday showers before warm weekend

Brief rain showers expected Friday morning

DETROITHappy Friday!

Friday highs will only reach the mid 50s, and this will be compounded by northwest winds increasing to 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 30 to 35 mph. Yes, it’ll be a cool day, although the afternoon sunshine always helps.

Friday’s sunset is at 8:32 p.m.

Clear skies, diminishing wind and a cold, dry air mass overhead is the perfect recipe for efficient radiational cooling Friday night -- that maximizes our cooling potential. As such, lows will drop into the mid 30s in our Urban Heat Island, but into the low 30s and even near 30 degrees in our typically colder rural areas. Some frost is possible late Friday night, but we won’t see a hard freeze like we did last week when lows dropped into the mid 20s.

Possible weekend showers

Saturday will be partly cloudy, windy and much warmer. While I cannot rule out a mid-to-late afternoon shower north of I-69, most of us should get away with a dry day. Temperatures will respond mightily to the increasing southwest wind that will gust between 30 and 35 mph by afternoon, topping out around 70 degrees.

Saturday night will be mostly cloudy, and I cannot rule out a rain shower. Much milder lows will dip into the mid 50s.

Sunday is a tricky day, weather-wise, as the computer models aren’t in agreement on the placement of a front that will lay somewhere across southeast Michigan. At this point, I’m planning on a day that’s more dry than wet, with the best chance of a shower in the afternoon. Rain chances are much better Sunday night into Monday. Even with mostly cloudy skies Sunday, I still expect highs to reach the mid to upper 70s.

Kentucky Derby

The weather looks great for the most exciting two minutes in sports, which you can watch right here on Local 4!

As many of you know, every year I pick the horse with best “weather” or “science” name. This year, there’s no horse with a weather name, but there is a horse named “Helium,” so I’m riding with him. Good luck with those 50-1 odds …

Remember to download the FREE Local4Casters weather app -- it’s easily one of the best in the nation. Just search your app store under WDIV and it’s right there available for both iPhones and Androids! Or click the appropriate link below.