DETROIT – Thursday’s weather scenario played out pretty much as expected -- the timing was spot on, and some parts of the area did see some rain mix in with the snow, with areas farther north and west staying all snow.
Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the house, we have more snow chances on the horizon!
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The current blob of precipitation over us will diminish this evening to just scattered snow showers for the overnight period. Lows in the low 30s means that there could be some slippery spots in the morning, although salt is very, very effective in these temps. The southeast wind will shift to the southwest at 8 to 12 mph.
An area of snow showers will cross the area Friday morning ahead of a potent, compact, upper-level disturbance. The snow will probably be in the vicinity of U.S.-23 / I-275 at 8 a.m. and then continue eastward during the morning.
Accumulation, if any, will be very light -- and remember that temperatures rising above freezing will minimize the impact on our roads. A bit of slush could develop, but we don’t expect any massive deterioration of road conditions. Highs should eventually approach the upper 30s to near 40 degrees (4 degrees Celsius).
Something else to keep in mind is that it’ll become breezy, with southwest winds at 10 to 20 mph and gusts to 30 mph possible.
Friday’s sunrise is at 7:25 a.m., and Friday’s sunset is at 5:11 p.m.
It will be cloudy Friday night, with lows in the low 30s (0 degrees Celsius).
Saturday should start dry, but an approaching cold front will generate a band of snow and possible rain that will cross the area ahead of the front. At this point, we cannot rule out snow, possibly mixed with rain if you’re tailgating before Michigan’s final home game of the season. With some luck, most of this will be past Ann Arbor by the 4 p.m. kickoff. Highs will again be in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees (4 degrees Celsius).
It will be mostly cloudy Saturday night, with lows in the mid-20s (-4 degrees Celsius).
Skies become partly cloudy on Sunday, and if we can melt enough of the snow on Friday and Saturday, perhaps this means we’ll be able to work on our leaves. It won’t be fun bagging wet leaves, but at this point, beggars can’t be choosers. Highs will be in the mid-30s (3 degrees Celsius).
Thanksgiving Week Travel Weather
At this point, it still looks like a mostly problem-free weather week for holiday travel. Today’s long-range computer models don’t suggest anything even resembling a snowstorm here in the Great Lakes region. Yes, there could be some snow showers either Monday or Tuesday, but after that, the next precipitation chance appears to be a rain chance later Friday into the weekend. That means that Wednesday, the single biggest travel day of the year, should be an outstanding travel day within several hundred miles of Detroit.
Not only will Wednesday and Thursday be dry, but we’ll start to see some warming as we head into Thursday -- that’s great news for America’s Thanksgiving Parade! This looks like a great year to bring the family downtown to see everything up close and personal. Naturally, if you’d rather stay at home with a nice cup of hot chocolate, Local 4 is your exclusive home for start-to-finish coverage.
Whether your custom is attending in person or watching at home, Local 4 has always been and will continue to be an important part of Metro Detroit’s Thanksgiving tradition!