


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
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730 FXUS63 KDTX 111103 AFDDTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI 703 AM EDT Fri Jul 11 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... -Warmer summertime pattern underway today, continuing into the weekend as humidity and heat indices trend higher. - Increasing potential for showers and thunderstorms today then higher likelihood by Saturday which could produce isolated severe storms and localized heavy rainfall. - Drying out early by Monday with temperatures at or above 90F Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday. && .AVIATION... SW Lower Mi showers and a rumble of thunder were holding on within the underlying MCV circulation and lingering nocturnal/elevated instability. The latest radar trend shows a few flare-ups within a general decreasing trend toward FNT and PTK early to mid morning. Additional activity farther upstream toward southern Lake Mi and CHI follow similar evolution by late morning into early afternoon. Conditions are generally VFR otherwise as the front that is stalled at the Ohio border moves northward during the day while becoming the focus for additional storms as instability builds and as additional activity moves in from the Midwest mid to late afternoon through this evening. Greater coverage over a longer time period is favored generally north of PTK through midnight. SE Mi then settles into the warm sector ahead of a broad Midwest cold front supporting VFR conditions in warm south flow late tonight into Saturday morning. For DTW/D21 Convection... Low chance for decaying showers/rumble of thunder this morning. Greater thunderstorm potential builds after 18Z through this evening. THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * Low for ceiling 5000 ft or less outside of thunderstorms. * Low for an isolated thunderstorm this morning. Medium for thunderstorms this afternoon and this evening. && .PREV DISCUSSION... Issued at 359 AM EDT Fri Jul 11 2025 DISCUSSION... Warmer summertime pattern underway today, continuing into the weekend as humidity and heat indices trend higher. This also contributes to an increase in thunderstorm chances as instability metrics respond to rising dewpoints. Currently monitoring a decaying MCS over Southwest Michigan which could produce some late morning or midday convection, locally. Synoptic ascent owing to a mid-level speed max and elevated instability have helped sustain such upstream convective remnants. However, as the embedded wave weakens upon arrival around 15Z, timing will become unfavorable relative to the diurnal heating cycle. Should some component of an outflow boundary remain, this could reignite a few more productive updrafts as activity works further east across Southeast Michigan, more so after 18Z. At press time, SPC mesoanalysis shows a total lack of MLCAPE and EBS. A secondary round of storms will be possible later this afternoon as the atmosphere destabilizes, but environmental dynamics turn less supportive. Overall severe threat and confidence in today`s setup is low while high temperatures maximize a couple degrees warmer than Thursday (mid to upper 80s). CAMs highlight some decay in convection early tonight as nocturnal stabilization attempts to take root, but the possibility for renewed upstream MCS development/propagation warrants at least Slight to Chance PoPs (20-40 percent). The axis of impressive ThetaE advection, coincident with a highly confluent southwesterly LLJ, extends into the northern Great Lakes. This should overlap more effectively with the Tri-Cities and Thumb regions which are favored for prolonged overnight storms. Still highly conditional on upstream convective trends. A stalled frontal boundary draped just south of the MI/OH/IN border gets forced northward across Lower Michigan on Saturday as a warm front. Marked increase in 850 mb temperatures is anticipated (upper teens to near 20C) which translates to highs broadly near 90F. Convective disruption could prevent more pronounced warming, considering the higher likelihood for storm development amidst a more unstable airmass (SBCAPE to 2500 J/kg). Shear profiles are a bit weaker, but primary threat will be isolated wind gusts to 60 mph and torrential rainfall/flooding, once PWATs approach 2 inches. A shortwave trough axis aloft provides background ascent and then slides east into Ontario around 06Z (Sunday) ending showers/storms for most. Slightly cooler/drier airmass expected Sunday as a cold front slows upon exiting. Some hints of renewed convective development for the southeastern half of the forecast area, along a fading instability gradient as the main upper level trough axis crosses overhead. Geopotential heights start to rebound early next week as a more cohesive anticyclone organizes over The Southeast. Zonal jet situates just to the north with a deepening longwave feature extending over southern Lower Michigan as soon as Wednesday. This offers the next opportunity for convective activity as an embedded trough works through the mean flow. Decent agreement in medium-range solutions for thermal troughing overspreading the Midwest by the end of the workweek. MARINE... Showers and thunderstorms remain possible later this morning into the early afternoon from a decaying storm system that is expected to weaken as it travels into the eastern Great Lakes. It is possible some lingering thunderstorms can affect the region leading into the afternoon hours. A secondary round of showers and thunderstorms will then again move in from the western Great Lakes with some development possible overhead, which brings the potential to see strong to severe storms in the later afternoon and evening hours. Small hail and wind gusts in excess of 40 knots will be the main threats with any stronger storms. Additional shower and thunderstorm chances will enter this weekend ahead of and along a cold front which brings some renewed chances for some stronger storm development. Outside of thunderstorms, a weak pressure gradient will maintain light wind speeds today, with some elevated gust potential entering by the weekend as the pressure gradient strengthens with the aforementioned cold front. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...None. Lake Huron...None. Lake St Clair...None. Michigan waters of Lake Erie...None. && $$ AVIATION.....BT DISCUSSION...KGK MARINE.......AM You can obtain your latest National Weather Service forecasts online at www.weather.gov/detroit.