Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Grand Rapids, MI

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506 FXUS63 KGRR 311038 AFDGRR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI 638 AM EDT Fri May 31 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry and mostly sunny Friday - Showers and chance thunderstorm moving in Saturday afternoon - Medium confidence in timing of shortwave features in progressive flow regime next week && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 343 AM EDT Fri May 31 2024 - Dry and mostly sunny Friday With the surface high pressure center slipping east of our area today, high temperatures will be several degrees warmer than Thursday with light southerly winds. Some cirrus clouds will be streaming in, and those should be the only clouds given a very dry middle and lower troposphere. Afternoon relative humidity is expected to drop below 40 percent except near the cooler Lake Michigan shore. - Showers and chance thunderstorm moving in Saturday afternoon A southern stream wave of low pressure over Okla/Ark today/tonight, augmented by its associated convection, may move northeast toward Indiana on Saturday, while northern stream troughing also impinges on the Great Lakes. Low-level moisture surging north into Lower Michigan during Saturday afternoon is likely to fuel showers and possibly thunderstorms depending on the depth of instability that can be achieved with modest lapse rates. There remains considerable spread among the global and high resolution ensembles in QPF max amount and placement by Saturday night, given the uncertainty in how the southern wave`s propagation may be tugged by its own convection amid weak upper-level flow. Plausible rainfall amounts across the area range from 0.1 to 0.5 inches, with a chance of a swath of over 1 inch occurring. Southern Michigan, including the Grand and Kalamazoo river basins, has a relatively higher probability of receiving heavier amounts compared to farther north. - Medium confidence in timing of shortwave features in progressive flow regime next week Ensemble spread is decreasing and run to run consistency is indicating higher confidence in the details for sensible weather next week. There continues to be a signal for rain late Monday as a shortwave trough approaches and minors out...then a stronger signal on Wednesday/Thursday as a better-defined trough or cut off low approaches from the Northern Plains. This low figures in the evolution of a longwave trough by the end of the week with cooler than normal temperatures. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/...
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Issued at 637 AM EDT Fri May 31 2024 FR conditions will continue into Saturday morning. Winds will be from the south AOB 10 knots today then light and variable tonight.
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&& .MARINE... Issued at 343 AM EDT Fri May 31 2024 A gentle breeze from the south/southwest today will bring waves up to 1 foot, perhaps 2 feet north of Whitehall. Hazardous winds and waves are not expected Saturday either, though a thunderstorm may develop over southern Lake Michigan during the afternoon. The next chance of hazardous winds and waves is on Monday north of Grand Haven. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...None. MARINE...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Ostuno/CAS AVIATION...Ostuno MARINE...CAS