Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

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000 FXUS63 KDTX 240346 AFDDTX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 1146 PM EDT THU MAY 23 2013 .AVIATION...
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//DISCUSSION... WHAT REMAINS OF LOW VFR TO HIGH MVFR BOUNDARY LAYER CLOUDS WILL WORK THEIR WAY THROUGH THE AREA WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. ONCE THAT OCCURS, CLEAR SKIES BELOW 10KFT WILL PREVAIL FOR THE BALANCE OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES. DIURNAL HEATING WILL ALLOW NORTHERLY WINDS TO GUST TO AROUND 20 KTS DURING PEAK HEATING ON FRIDAY. //DTW THRESHOLD THREATS... * NONE
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&& .PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 351 PM EDT THU MAY 23 2013 SHORT TERM...THROUGH TONIGHT UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES TO DIVE THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES THIS AFTERNOON. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SMALL SHORTWAVE EMBEDDED IN SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF THE TROUGH...NOW PUSHING INTO LAKE ERIE. THIS FEATURE KICKED OFF A FEW STRONGER RAIN SHOWERS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON...AND SLOWED THE SOUTHWARD PROGRESS OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH FAR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN...ONLY BY A FEW HOURS HOWEVER. MAIN AREA OF ENERGY EMBEDDED WITHIN THE MID-LEVEL TROUGH WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. SUBSIDENCE...AND DRY AIR ADVECTION...BEHIND THIS FEATURE LOOK STRONG AND SHOULD END LIGHT RAIN THROUGH THE EVENING (FROM NORTH TO SOUTH). SKIES WILL CLEAR OVERNIGHT UNDER SUBSIDENCE AND DRY AIR. STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION DURING THE PRECEDING 18 HOURS SHOULD DROP OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID 30S TO NEAR 40 OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE GREAT LAKES SHOULD REMAIN JUST TO OUR WEST...WHILE THE AREA OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE REACHES THE EAST COAST BY DAYBREAK. THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THESE TWO FEATURES SHOULD KEEP SOME NORTH WIND AROUND OVERNIGHT...HELPING KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE MIXED AND BRINGING IN SOME SLIGHTLY WARMER AIR OFF THE GREAT LAKES. SECONDARY PUSH OF COLD AIR (CROSSING LAKE HURON) WILL ALSO OCCUR LATE...AND POTENTIALLY EVEN BOOST WIND SPEEDS A FEW KNOTS TOWARDS MORNING WHEN PEAK FROST FORMATION WOULD OCCUR. HAVE THEREFORE ONLY KEPT A PATCHY MENTION FROST IN THE FORECAST...AGAIN WITH THE THOUGHT THAT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH WIND AND ONLY MARGINAL TEMPERATURES FOR FORMATION. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE ADVERTISED DRY...COOL AND QUIET WEATHER PATTERN WILL BE WELL ESTABLISHED ON FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT...ESPECIALLY FOR SE LOWER MI. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE GFS STRONGER AND CONVECTIVELY ACTIVE SHORTWAVE OVER THE UPPER MS RIVER VALLEY ON SATURDAY VS. THE OTHER MODELS WHICH HAVE MUCH MORE CONVECTION WITH THE SOUTHERN WAVE THROUGH IA/MO AND THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY. THE END RESULT OF GOING WITH EVERY OTHER MODEL FOR THE WEEKEND IS LESS MID AND HIGH CLOUD THAN THE GFS IS DEPICTING. WITH THAT SAID...THERE WILL BE PERIOD OF DECENT MOISTURE ABOVE 700 MBS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM THAT NORTHERN SHORTWAVE AS IT SPILLS OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. RIDGE AND INTO THE CONFLUENT FLOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES. THIS WILL BE ENOUGH FOR MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES FOR A KEY WINDOW WHEN A FROST ADVISORY WOULD HAVE BEEN OTHERWISE NEEDED. EXPECT THOSE CLOUDS TO KEEP TEMPS ON FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING CLOSER TO 40. OTHERWISE...JUST FEW TO SCT CU EXPECTED DURING THE DIURNAL CYCLE AND SCT/THIN CI FOR THE REST OF THE EXTENDED WEEKEND. DEW POINTS SHOULD BE IN THE 20S ON FRIDAY AND THEN MAINLY THE 30S FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. THIS DRY AIR SHOULD LEAD TO 20-30 DEGREE DIURNAL SPREADS EACH DAY. THEREFORE WILL LEAN TOWARD WIDENING THE GUIDANCE TEMPS BY LOWER THE MIN TEMPS A DEGREE OR TWO AND RAISING MAX TEMPS A DEGREE OR TWO TOO. IN THE EXTENDED...RIDGE BUILDS EASTWARD ALLOWING A WARM UP TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS. MODELS HAVE SOME DIFFERENCES WHEN THE WARM FRONT PUSHES INTO LOWER MICHIGAN AND HOW FAR NORTH IT GOES. WILL GO WITH ECMWF WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PREVIOUS FORECAST AND TO SOME EXTENT THE UK. NOT TOO SURPRISING THAT THE GFS IS THE FASTEST WITH SOME ISSUES THAT LOOK TO BE CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK. WILL HAVE THE CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH THE WARM FRONTAL PASSAGE. MARINE... GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT AS COLD AIR POURS INTO THE REGION BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO GUST BETWEEN 25 AND 30 KNOTS THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH GUSTS OCCASIONALLY TOPPING 30 KNOTS OVER THE FAR SOUTHERN PORTION OF LAKE HURON. WINDS OVER THE WATERS WILL THEN DECREASE IN SPEED ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES BY LATE EVENING...BEFORE ANOTHER PUSH OF COLD AIR COMING DOWN FROM CANADA BRINGS ANOTHER SURGE OF NORTH WINDS DOWN ACROSS LAKE HURON OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL KEEP WAVE HEIGHTS ELEVATED...IN ADDITION TO INCREASING WIND SPEEDS AGAIN OVERNIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE AREA WILL THEN BRING LIGHT WINDS THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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MI...NONE. LAKE HURON... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...NEARSHORE WATERS FROM PORT AUSTIN TO PORT HURON INCLUDING OUTER SAGINAW BAY...UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY. LAKE ST CLAIR... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRIDAY. MI WATERS OF LAKE ERIE... SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRIDAY.
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&& $$ AVIATION.....JVC SHORT TERM...HLO LONG TERM....RBP MARINE.......HLO YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT (ALL LOWER CASE).

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