4Warn Weather – Thousands of classic cars will rumble down Woodward Avenue on Saturday for one of Metro Detroit’s biggest events of the summer, and much of the Woodward Dream Cruise should get favorable weather before a chance of showers and thunderstorms later in the day and night.
The official Woodward Dream Cruise runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday along a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue.
The event attracts about one million visitors and tens of thousands of classic, custom, and special-interest vehicles.
For those planning to spend the day along Woodward, the morning and early afternoon appear to offer the best weather.
Saturday will start dry with increasing clouds through the day. Temperatures should climb from around 70 degrees at 9 a.m. into the lower 80s during the afternoon.
Detroit is forecast to reach a high around 83 degrees.
The chance for rain begins to increase later Saturday afternoon as a weather system approaches from the west.
Isolated showers and thunderstorms could develop in Southeast Michigan during the afternoon, but the most likely window for storms is between about 6 p.m. and midnight.
The chance of rain will be higher south of 8 Mile.
That means the Dream Cruise has a chance of staying dry, but anyone planning to stay along Woodward into Saturday evening should keep an eye on radar and be prepared to seek shelter if thunderstorms approach.
Severe weather risk mainly south of I-94
There is a marginal, or Level 1 of 5, risk for severe thunderstorms Saturday, primarily along and south of Interstate 94.
The atmosphere over much of Metro Detroit is expected to have limited instability, which should make widespread severe weather unlikely.
However, an isolated stronger storm cannot be ruled out, particularly across communities closer to the Ohio border.
Damaging wind would be the primary severe weather concern.
Another concern may be heavy rainfall.
The atmosphere will contain a large amount of moisture.
Any thunderstorms that develop will be capable of producing torrential downpours, and localized flooding will be possible, particularly near and south of I-94.
More rain and storms Sunday
The unsettled weather will continue into Sunday.
Showers will be more likely Sunday, with thunderstorms also possible during the afternoon.
Temperatures will remain warm, with highs reaching the mid 80s around Detroit.
A cold front will move through Southeast Michigan Sunday, eventually bringing the rain chances to an end Sunday night into early Monday.
Behind the front, Metro Detroit gets a quieter start to the new workweek.
Monday should be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with highs in the lower 80s, followed by another mainly sunny day Tuesday with temperatures in the lower to mid-80s.
Tropical Storm Lala threatens Hawaii
Meanwhile, thousands of miles from Metro Detroit, Tropical Storm Lala is strengthening as it approaches Hawaii.
Midday Friday, Lala had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
Lala is forecast to strengthen and could become a hurricane, with sustained winds of at least 74 mph, as it approaches the Big Island on Saturday. Hurricane conditions are possible there, while heavy rainfall is expected across the Hawaiian Islands.
The storm is not related to the weather system bringing showers and thunderstorms to Metro Detroit this weekend.
Lala is in the central Pacific, while Michigan’s weekend weather will be driven by a separate system and cold front moving through the Great Lakes.
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