Skies become mostly clear Saturday night; Spectacular Sunday

Lows in mid to upper 50s

DETROIT – Our RPM computer model did a fantastic job handling this afternoon's scattered showers, which popped up right on schedule, and gave some of us a quick splash.

Although there were a handful of lightning strikes, most of us didn't have to deal with that threat. Skies will become mostly clear tonight, so we should be able to see the Perseid Meteor Shower (details below).

Lows in the mid to upper 50s (13-15 degrees Celsius), and there could be some patchy fog late at night.

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Mostly sunny on Sunday -- a spectacular August weekend day -- with highs in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees (26-27 degrees Celsius).

Sunday's sunrise is at 6:39 a.m., and Sunday’s sunset is at 8:37 p.m.

Partly cloudy Sunday night, with lows in the mid to upper 50s (14-15 degrees Celsius).

Partly cloudy on Monday, with highs near 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius).

Mostly sunny Tuesday with highs in the mid-80s (29 degrees Celsius), and lows Tuesday night in the mid-60s (18 degrees Celsius).

Partly cloudy on Wednesday, with a late afternoon shower or thunderstorm possible. Highs in the mid-80s (30 degrees Celsius).

Thunderstorms appear likely on Thursday, and then the weather pattern gets a little uncertain concerning our rain chances Friday and Saturday. It had better not rain on Saturday...it's "Paul Gross Day" at the Farmington Farmer's Market and, although I obviously can't control the weather, it's still a little embarrassing to have it rain on me!

Nice summer weather looks to return next Sunday.

Perseid Meteor Shower details

Tonight continues the annual Perseid Meteor Shower, which is one of the year's most popular since it occurs during the summer. However, we have a couple of things working against us this year. First, the meteor shower's peak occurred during the day today, which obviously favored the other side of the world since it was during their nighttime. Second, we'll have a bright moon in the sky during the time to watch, so moonlight will wash out the fainter meteors. However, we definitely will be able to see any bright Perseids that occur.

So, when to look? Tonight between midnight and dawn. Why so late at night? That's because the radiant, which is the point in the sky where the meteors originate from, rises in the northeast around midnight. Can you see anything before midnight? It's possible to see one or two, but the best chances occur well after midnight. If you're going out to look before bed, just face northeast and look halfway up. Don't focus on any particular star...keep a broad visual perspective. If you decide to watch before dawn...that's the best chance to see some...then you can face north or northeast.

The most astounding thing about these meteors is that they are a piece of rock about the size of a Grape Nuts cereal nugget hitting our atmosphere at over 133,000 miles per hour and burning up due to friction! Once a year, the earth passes through a trail of "nugget debris" left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, and the result is the famous Perseid Meteor Shower. There are other comet debris trails throughout the year that give us other meteor showers, such as the Leonids in November. The best conditions are no clouds and a dark sky. So, no moonlight and a viewing location away from the light pollution created by our big cities gives you the best opportunity to see some...but we'll have that moonlight this year.

And by the way, there's a rumor going around the Internet that this year's Perseids will be the best in ninety-six years. That is emphatically not true. Yes, it's fake space news...