Metro Detroit weather forecast: Spectacular weekend ahead!

But, between then and now…

Cirrus clouds today made for a spectacular sunrise across parts of the area, and we’ve had a very nice Wednesday with various thicknesses of cirrus layers crossing southeast Michigan.  There have been times when it has been cloudy, and other times that we have sun shining through these thin ice crystal clouds.  Temperatures by mid-afternoon approached 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) and, although the humidity is a little higher than it was yesterday, it was still quite pleasant out there.

Skies will be mostly cloudy for most of the night, and it will become increasingly muggy as steamier air slides over the area.  The higher dewpoint temperatures moving in means we’ll have higher overnight low temperatures (that’s because one of the laws of meteorology is that the temperature cannot fall below the dewpoint temperature, so higher dewpoints don’t allow temps to fall as much as in dry air).  As a result, many of us will see lows only in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees (20-21 degrees Celsius).

Mostly cloudy on Thursday with scattered light showers possible in the morning, and some thunderstorms possible in the afternoon as a front sags southward toward us.  I haven’t been expecting severe weather Thursday, and the newly updated convective outlook issued by the Storm Prediction Center agrees, as the Marginal Risk area for severe weather has now been pushed well south of Michigan.

Temperatures Thursday morning will rise into the upper 70s to near 80 degrees (26-27 degrees Celsius) by noon, but then only rise a few degrees more into the low to mid 80s (28-29 degrees Celsius) during the afternoon.  Southwest wind to start the day will become northeast later at 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday’s sunrise is at 6:21 a.m., and Thursday’s sunset is at 8:58 p.m.

Mostly cloudy with diminishing showers Thursday night.  Lows in the mid 60s (18 degrees Celsius).

Friday has become a little trickier, as an upper level disturbance diving southeast across Michigan on Friday will slow the front.  Mostly cloudy skies will begrudgingly become partly cloudy by later in the afternoon.  The only question is:  will we get any showers?  Our in-house RPM model suggests no, but some other models suggest a definite maybe.  The upper level disturbance will help destabilize our atmosphere, but the atmospheric column above us will also see its deeper moisture decreasing overnight Thursday night into Friday.  So it’s a real toss-up as to if we’ll get any scattered, light showers on Friday.  I should be able to update you on this in tomorrow’s article.  Highs Friday will cool into the mid to upper 70s (25-26 degrees Celsius).

Becoming mostly clear Friday night, with lows in the upper 50s (15 degrees Celsius).

Your Weekend:  Beautiful!

Last week I told you to start preparing for some spectacular weather this coming weekend, and nothing has changed thus far.  We’ll see mostly sunny skies both Saturday and Sunday, with highs near 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) on Saturday, and near 83 degrees (28-29 degrees Celsius) on Sunday.  This may be our nicest weekend weather of the entire summer, so don’t waste the opportunity to enjoy it or get some outdoor projects done…and remember the sunscreen, as the sun’s rays are still very intense right now.

Next Week:  Get ready for another dry spell

I’ve been monitoring the progress of two weak cold fronts next week…one in the Monday / Tuesday timeframe, and another potentially on Thursday.  Today’s models strengthen high pressure over us, which will diminish the fronts’ impacts.  Add this to the fact that it looks as if the Monday-Tuesday front may end up passing by overnight when it’s less unstable, and it’s not out of the question that we could go most of next week without any meaningful rain.  A lot of us could sure use some, so this isn’t great news unless you have outdoor plans depending upon nice weather, such as the First Annual Kids Kicking Cancer Charity Golf Outing Monday at Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield.  I’ll be there, and will certainly get a lot of smiles on a beautiful summer day like that.  I believe there are still a few spots open…you can get more information here.