Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

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331 FXUS63 KDTX 250221 AFDDTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI 1021 PM EDT Fri May 24 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Showers and thunderstorms move in tonight largely after midnight and continue into Saturday morning. An isolated storm may become severe with strong winds or hail. - Dry weather returns Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. - Showers are likely again with a chance of thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. - The Memorial Day outlook calls for cool temperatures with showers likely Monday and Monday night. && .UPDATE...
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No threat of deep troposphere convection over the next 7 hours or so with NIL convective available potential energy over Southeast Michigan. Reference the 25.00Z KDTX raob. Remnant elevated shower activity will encroach the area through midnight as moisture at/about 9.0 kft agl bleeds into the area and does cause a bump of MUCAPES to <250 J/kg. Better potential for showers with moderate to heavy rainfall rates and perhaps some lightning will occur 09-12Z as jet exit region/shortwave pass through the region.
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&& .PREV DISCUSSION...
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Issued at 832 PM EDT Fri May 24 2024 AVIATION... Relatively high amplitude shortwave ridging will result in VFR conditions throughout the evening. Southeasterly flow trajectories will maintain a dry feed in the lowest 6.0 kft agl through approximately 09Z tonight. A zonal upper level jet exit region will cut into Southeast Michigan early Saturday morning knocking down heights and allowing for large scale ascent. Still some question on coverage of shower and/or thunderstorms across Southeast Michigan in the 9-12Z timeframe but cyclonic absolute vorticity advection in the same time window is expected to result in convective development overhead. Did roll the Prob30 group into a TEMPO and will monitor 00Z trends to assess likelihood of thunderstorm activity. Heavy rainfall is expected with the convection, no strong or severe weather. A period of MVFR ceilings is expected across Southeast Michigan sometime between 09-15Z. For DTW/D21 Convection...Arrival of large scale forcing is expected to result in initiation/development overhead of showers and possible thunderstorms between 09-12Z. Included shower mention at this time and will assess for TSRA. DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * Low for thunderstorms overnight tonight (9-12Z) * Moderate for ceilings aob 5kft by early tomorrow morning. PREV DISCUSSION... Issued at 335 PM EDT Fri May 24 2024 DISCUSSION... Active weather this Memorial Day weekend and beyond for southeast Michigan. Many opportunities for precipitation ahead, and warmer than average temperatures hang around for the weekend before a cooling trend begins with the start of the week. The main focus of the forecast for today are the storms projected to move in overnight tonight. Due to the timing of storms passing between 06-12Z, the storms will weaken after sunset and become unlikely to produce severe weather due to overnight surface cooling leading to a near-surface temperature inversion. Should a parcel be forced upward, PWATS around 1.25-1.5 inches, MUCAPE nearing 1000 J/kg, and 30 knots of shear could potentially help sustain the updraft and produce some rain and/or small hail. Any developing storms are unlikely to be severe, but an isolated severe storm remains possible. SPC keeps a general thunderstorm risk in place for this system. Near-zonal flow aloft behind this system briefly brings back clear skies on Saturday behind the front. Temperatures in the upper 70s, reaching 80 on Saturday, cooling off slightly to the mid to upper 70s Sunday. While these temperatures are only slightly above the climatological average and are not unreasonable for this time of year, those sensitive to heat should prepare an effective cooling method and plan to stay hydrated for any outdoor Memorial Day festivities over the weekend. Widespread showers and storms return Sunday evening as a longwave upper level trough brings a low pressure system into the area from the southwest. The system will begin to occlude as it begins to impact the area, so much will be determined on how far north that occlusion point reaches. Thunderstorms and severe weather are a possibility with this system, currently expected to move through between 0Z and 12Z Monday. SPC gives a Marginal risk for severe weather for the southern portion of the CWA. WPC also has a Marginal risk for excessive rainfall on their Day 3 Outlook, meaning between a 5-15% risk of rainfall exceeding flash flood criteria. Guidance has yet to agree on rainfall totals for southeast Michigan, with deterministic models ranging from two tenths to to inches, but ensemble runs put mean QPF values just over a half inch. As the low pressure moves out, the potential for light showers to form exists Monday, fueled by cold conveyor belt wrapping around the low. Temperatures continue to drop Monday as cloud cover makes reaching the 70s difficult. Longwave trough remains in place through the middle of the week, dropping daily high and low temperatures into the 60s and 40s respectively, while also bringing more chances for some minor showers caused by some shortwaves embedded within the larger trough. MARINE... An upper level ridge exits the Great Lakes this evening as a low pressure system works northward into south-central Canada. Gradient winds take on an easterly trajectory while a strengthening low-level subsidence inversion limits gust potential. Gusts may approach 25 knots across Saginaw Bay, but will forego a Small Craft Advisory given the infrequency of higher gusts. A shortwave feature shearing off the parent upper level feature to the west progresses into the central Great Lakes tonight and Saturday morning as a secondary surface low develops along the primary system`s cold front. This presents an opportunity for thunderstorms and locally higher winds/waves through Saturday morning. The strongest dynamics are expected to depart before thermodynamic profiles become more favorable for mechanical mixing processes, therefore no headlines are anticipated. An occluded low then tracks across Wisconsin and The UP Sunday night which drags a potent LLJ across the waterways. More showers and storms are expected, some of which may be strong to severe. Potential also exists for Small Craft Advisory conditions as early as Sunday evening, marked by gusts approaching 30 knots and occasional waves near 5 feet.
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&& .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...None. Lake Huron...None. Lake St Clair...None. Michigan waters of Lake Erie...None. && $$ UPDATE.......CB AVIATION.....CB DISCUSSION...BC MARINE.......KGK You can obtain your latest National Weather Service forecasts online at www.weather.gov/detroit.