Next snow storm arrives Wednesday in Metro Detroit: What to expect

DETROIT – The weekend storm played out exactly as expected, with widespread 50 to 60 mph wind gusts experienced across the area.  

The breezy conditions outside this afternoon (gusts of 20 to 30 mph) will subside overnight, with the west wind eventually shifting to the northwest at 5 to 10 mph.  

It’s going to be a cold night, with lows dropping into the low to mid teens (-11 to -10 degrees Celsius).  Clouds will increase, with a few flakes even possible later at night.  But we do not expect any impactful snow…perhaps a light dusting at worst.

Tuesday forecast

Mostly cloudy on Tuesday – this is the calm before the next storm.  Highs will remain below normal…in the mid 20s (-3 degrees Celsius).  Northwest wind will shift to the northeast, at 4 to 8 mph.

Tuesday’s sunrise is at 7:14 a.m., and Tuesday’s sunset is at 6:19 p.m.

Wednesday snow

Snow develops Tuesday night, and continues through the Wednesday morning rush hour.  

Needless-to-say, you’ll have a slow drive to work Wednesday morning. Lows around 20 degrees (-7 degrees Celsius).

Snow slowly starts tapering off Wednesday afternoon.  Here’s a set of maps showing you the snow’s timing:

As for accumulation, the ECMWF and GFS models are in remarkable agreement, and suggest 1 to 3 inches south of I-94, and a general 3 to 5 inches north of I-94, with isolated 6 inch amounts certainly in play:

So, on our Snow Meter we’re going to put this snow right on the edge between “Nuisance” and “Tough Shovel”.  

Even if we end up on the lower end of our expected snow forecast, it’ll still be at least a nuisance due to the slow rush hour Wednesday morning (and possibly in the afternoon, depending upon when the snow shuts down).  And if we get the higher amounts, then this will be a tough shovel.  But we are confident that we’ll stay below the “Frozen Pizza and Beer” and “Baby Boom” categories.

Mostly cloudy Wednesday night, with lows in the upper teens (-8 degrees Celsius).

Mostly cloudy on Thursday…most models keep a weak upper level disturbance and its associated light snow south of the state line.  Highs in the low 30s (-1 degrees Celsius).

Thursday and Friday

Mostly cloudy Thursday night, with lows near 20 degrees (-7 degrees Celsius).

Partly cloudy on Friday, with highs in the mid 30s (2 degrees Celsius).

The upcoming weekend

Right now it appears that we’ll be brushed by a storm developing to our south on Saturday…we may have to deal with some snow, although accumulations appear to be light.  Highs in the low 30s (0 degrees Celsius).

A strong cold front crosses the area Saturday night, and this will usher in the next blast of Arctic air.

Now, before you get too excited, this won’t be “Polar Vortex” cold. Just really cold. So Sunday will be mostly cloudy and dry, but with highs only barely reaching 20 degrees (-7 degrees Celsius), with wind chills likely between 0 and -10  degrees (-23 to -18 degrees Celsius).