


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
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502 FXUS63 KDTX 120413 AFDDTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI 1213 AM EDT Sat Jul 12 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Increasing potential for showers and thunderstorms today which could produce isolated severe storms and localized heavy rainfall. - Warmer summertime pattern underway which will continue into next week today, continuing through midweek as humidity rises and heat indices hover around 90. - Drier weather expected Sunday through midweek as high pressure moves over the area. && .AVIATION... VFR skies should hold through the early morning period with southeast Michigan in the warm sector and high clouds streaming in downstream of a large convective line. Winds hold out of the south and stay below 10 knots. Increasing southwest flow with gusts to around 20 knots are expected by the afternoon ahead of an advancing cold front. This front is expected to trigger increasing coverage of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms, possibly by the early afternoon hours. For DTW/D21 Convection... There will be an advancing cold front that will trigger a chance for strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon. Initiation looks occur around 17-18Z. Current timing for activity to reach DTW looks closer to around 19-20Z. Adjustments in timing remain possible. THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * Low for ceiling 5000 ft or less outside of thunderstorms today. * Medium for thunderstorms this afternoon. && .PREV DISCUSSION... Issued at 346 PM EDT Fri Jul 11 2025 DISCUSSION... Remnants of last nights elevated MCV still working through SE MI this afternoon with a bit of an uptick in convection as the surface warm front lifts up through the region. There is still a chance to build some instability once this moves through this evening but chances decrease as subsidence in the wake of the MCV should help minimize coverage of new development. We`ll keep the current chance pop going as the clearing upstream is already allowing a bubble of SBCAPE in excess of 2000 J/kg to build and the nose of the 850mb low level starts pushing into SW lower. Shear will remain fairly weak, around 20 knots, so storms should struggle to get too organized but an isolated storm or two may become strong to severe. Damaging downbursts winds would be the biggest threat with heavy downpours also a concern as dewpoints are rising into the 70s behind the lifting warm front and PWATs are up around 1.75 inches. We remain in a Marginal Risk for severe weather today. Better chance for strong to severe storms comes Saturday as a northern stream trough moves into the Midwest and pulls the stalled shortwave over IA rapidly northeastward tonight through the northern Great Lakes with the trailing cold front draped just west of Lake MI. This puts us solidly in the warm sector tonight into Saturday with southwesterly flow through that time. There will be a chance of isolated showers/storms tonight with highest chance up across Mid MI with a leading edge of the theta e gradient. Rest of SE MI should be fairly quiet. On Saturday there is a Slight Risk of severe weather per SPCDY2. The main trough axis approaches toward morning with the increasing low level jet pushing a weak shortwave up through SW MI which in turn pulls up a secondary warm front/theta e surge. Strong WAA will bring temps to near 90 with dewpoints into the 70s ahead of the cold front which looks to sweep through the area during peak heating in the evening. Most CAMs suggest initiation around 18Z with the frontal line of convection pushing through by about 00Z. SBCAPE will rise to around 2500 J/kg with shear remaining on the lower side around 25 knots but could reach up to around 30, sufficient to help storms organize. Wind still looks to be the main threat with these storms, with hail and heavy rain additional threats. Still cannot rule out a tornadic threat with the warm fronts in the area. Quieter weather to end the weekend Sunday as mid level trough lies over the region and high pressure starts building in. Cold front could get hung up over far eastern lower MI which could spark a few showers Sunday, but most of SE MI will remain dry. Nearly zonal flow with a slight broad mid level ridge builds over the region to start the week with the next chance of storms targeting the area on Wednesday as the next trough arrives. MARINE... A weak area of high pressure will continue to promote lighter winds through the remainder of the day. Scattered to numerous showers with some embedded thunderstorms remain possible through the afternoon and evening, which brings the chance to see some embedded stronger wind gusts. Additional chances for showers and thunderstorms will re- enter Saturday into Sunday ahead of and along a cold front, which brings additional chances for strong to severe thunderstorm development capable of producing wind gusts aoa 35 knots. Winds veer from southeast to southwest through tonight into tomorrow, with continued veering to the west after the passage of the front. Dry conditions return in the wake of the front. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...None. Lake Huron...None. Lake St Clair...None. Michigan waters of Lake Erie...None. && $$ AVIATION.....AA DISCUSSION...DRK MARINE.......AM You can obtain your latest National Weather Service forecasts online at www.weather.gov/detroit.