Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

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000 FXUS63 KDTX 161812 AFDDTX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 212 PM EDT THU MAY 16 2013 .AVIATION...
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//DISCUSSION... THE AVIATION FORECAST DECISION POINT IS A LAKE BREEZE PUSH THAT WILL RELEASE OFF OF THE ADJACENT LAKE AGGREGATE BEGINNING AT/AROUND 22-23Z. HAVE TIMED AN ABRUPT WINDSHIFT FROM 300 TO 030 AT THE SOUTHERN FOUR SITES. CANADIAN SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE NOSING INTO SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN TODAY IS CHARACTERIZED BY A VERY STABLE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN THROUGH 9 KFT AGL. WILL WATCH A WEAK MIDLEVEL IMPULSE SLIDE SOUTHEASTWARD OUT OF WISCONSIN ACROSS THE CENTRAL TERMINAL SITES DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. THERE IS ENOUGH MIDLEVEL INSTABILITY TO SUPPORT SOME ACCAS STREAMERS...OTHERWISE DEEP AMBIENT DRY AIR WILL MAKE THIS OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE AT THE SURFACE. //DTW THRESHOLD THREATS... * THE WIND DIRECTION IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT ABRUPTLY FROM 290-300 TO 030 AT APPROXIMATELY 2330-0000Z THIS EVENING. WIND SPEEDS POST LAKE BREEZE WILL BE ABOVE 10 KNOTS.
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&& .PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 333 AM EDT THU MAY 16 2013 SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WILL LIE ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF A SLIGHTLY SUPPRESSED MID LEVEL HEIGHT FIELD WORKING AROUND THE CLOSED CIRCULATION NOW OVER WESTERN QUEBEC. WEAK SURFACE/THERMAL TROUGHING WILL EMERGE IN RESPONSE TODAY...A THIN CONVERGENCE ZONE ENHANCED BY DEVELOPING LOW LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC/NORTHEAST FLOW ALONG THE FRONT FACE OF A SPRAWLING HIGH PRESSURE CENTER SQUEEZING SOUTHEAST INTO THE UPPER PENINSULA. THIS FEATURE WILL LIKELY TRANSLATE INTO AN AREA OF AGITATED CU GROWTH DURING PEAK HEATING. HOWEVER PROSPECTS FOR PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT APPEAR EXTREMELY LIMITED GIVEN THE DEARTH OF AVAILABLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. BOTH NAM AND GFS NEAR SURFACE MOISTURE PARAMETRIZATION CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE...AGAIN ALLOWING SURFACE DEWPOINTS TO INCORRECTLY INCREASE INTO THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 50S. THIS RESULTS IN ERRONEOUSLY HIGHER LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY/ASCENT...CONTRIBUTING TO THE GENERATION OF SOME HIGH BASED SHOWERS. WHILE A VERY LOW PROBABILITY DOES EXIST FOR A SHOWER OR TWO TO DEVELOP...CONTINUE TO FAVOR A DRY FORECAST TODAY GIVEN THE LIMITED OPPORTUNITY. OTHERWISE PLENTY OF SUNSHINE WORKING INTO A RELATIVE PERSISTENT THERMAL PROFILE /850 MB TEMPS OF LOWER TEENS/ WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO PUSH THE UPPER 70S TO AROUND 80 DEGREE MARK IN MANY LOCALES. EXCEPTION WILL BE ACROSS THE THUMB...WHERE THE DIURNAL RESPONSE WILL BE CUT SHORT SLIGHTLY BY THE EMERGING NORTHEAST FLOW/LAKE BREEZE WORKING OFF THE COOL LAKE HURON WATERS. WEAK SFC-850 MB COOLING COMMENCES THROUGH THE EVENING AS THE SHALLOW FRONTAL STRUCTURE SLIDES SOUTHWEST. THIS WILL EFFECTIVELY TRIM SEVERAL DEGREES OFF LOWS...READINGS LOW TO MID 40S NORTH TO UPPER 40S SOUTH. LONG TERM... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES ON FRIDAY WILL LEAD TO TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL...AS LIGHT NORTHEAST FLOW OFF THE COOL WATERS OF LAKE HURON (UPPER 30S/LOWER 40S) AND SOME MID/HIGH CLOUDS BOTH SERVE TO MITIGATE THE DIURNAL RESPONSE COMING OFF THE MORNING LOWS IN THE 40S. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE CWA SHOULD BE WITHIN 2 DEGREES OF 70...WITH THE COOLER NORTHERN THUMB REGION THE EXCEPTION. STILL FAVORING A DRY AND NICE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING AS AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL RIDGE MOVES OVERHEAD. THERE IS SMALL CONCERN AN ACTIVE WARM FRONT OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES FRIDAY WILL LEAD TO SHOWERS SPILLING OVER FRIDAY NIGHT-SATURDAY. HOWEVER...CANADIAN/EURO AND EVEN THE GFS SUGGEST DRIER/STABLE AIR IN PLACE WILL ALLOW THE ACTIVITY TO FALL APART AS IT TRACKS SOUTHEAST ALONG THE THICKNESS FIELD ORIENTATION. WILL HAVE TO KEEP EYE OUT FOR UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...AS IT SLOWLY HEADS OFF TO THE NORTHEAST....BUT IS EXPECTED TO TRACK REAL CLOSE TO THE OHIO RIVER...FAR ENOUGH SOUTH NOT TO BE AN ISSUE FOR US. WARMING TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH 850 MB TEMPS SEEN RISING INTO THE MID TEENS ON SUNDAY...SUPPORTIVE OF LOWER 80S...BUT LINGERING SOUTHEAST FLOW COMING OFF THE COOL LAKES MAY BE ENOUGH TO HOLD MAXES IN THE UPPER 70S. INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW ON MONDAY WILL SUPPORT TEMPERATURES CLIMBING EVEN MORE...AS 850 MB TEMPS REACH AT LEAST 16 C. THE PROBLEM IS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS EAST...ALLOWING FOR AN INCREASINGLY MOIST/UNSTABLE AIRMASS TO MOVE IN...AND QUESTION MARKS WITH TIMING AND COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY NIGHT-MONDAY AS UPPER LEVEL LOW ADVANCES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS...WITH A POTENTIAL PIECE OF ENERGY/SHORTWAVE TROUGH BREAKING OFF TO THE EAST. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AND MOVE OFF TO THE EAST/SOUTHEAST...PROVIDING UNSETTLED WEATHER TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY TO GREAT LAKES REGION. STILL...MEDIUM RANGE MODEL (EURO INCLUDED) HAVE NOT BEEN VERY CONSISTENT WITH POSITION AND STRENGTH OF THIS LOW/TROUGH...AS NEXT SYSTEM DROPPING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BECOMES THE MORE DOMINANT FEATURE. NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO CARRY LIKELY POPS FOR ANY SPECIFIC PERIOD TUESDAY AND BEYOND. MARINE... MODEST NORTHWEST WINDS TODAY WILL VEER TO NORTHEASTERLY INTO TONIGHT IN ADVANCE OF STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. FAVORABLE MARINE CONDITIONS WILL EXIST ON FRIDAY AS THIS HIGH SLOWLY WORKS THROUGH THE REGION. EXTENDED PERIOD OF LIGHTER EASTERLY FLOW WILL EXIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LAKE HURON...NONE. LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE. MI WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE. && $$ AVIATION.....CB SHORT TERM...MR LONG TERM....SF MARINE.......MR YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT (ALL LOWER CASE).

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