


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
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910 FXUS63 KDTX 050353 AFDDTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI 1153 PM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Hot and muggy conditions through this weekend with highs in the lower 90s Saturday into Sunday. - Next chance for showers and thunderstorms on Sunday, then drier with less humidity starting Monday. && .AVIATION... Warm and humid air is now fully in place across SE Mi after northern Ontario low pressure pulled the warm front into northern Lower Mi. Ground based firework smoke/haze mixed with fog take a few hours to dissipate within the humid surface based stable layer. Calm to light south wind increases slightly toward sunrise to aid in that process and solidify warm sector VFR through the morning. Warm and humid air remains in place in the afternoon to fuel scattered to broken cumulus development. Thunderstorms are held off by a capping 500 mb ridge through Saturday evening. For DTW/D21 Convection... Thunderstorms are not forecast for the rest of tonight and Saturday. THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * None. && .PREV DISCUSSION... Issued at 345 PM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025 DISCUSSION... Upper ridge axis will move across the Mississippi River Valley today leading to subtle mid level height rises locally into this evening. Despite the rising height, shortwave energy riding the arriving ridge in combination with a warm front draped NW to SE across Michigan is enough to support the widely scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon into the early portion of the evening. Positioning of the front favors roughly along the I-75 corridor and points west for the highest PoPs with the mean wind driving activity NW to SE across this corridor. There will be at least several hundred j/kg of MUCAPE available today, but with weak mid level lapse rates. This along with effective shear to near 30 knots will further support disorganized cells or clusters of cells. Severe threat remains low, but the increasing low level lapse rates will help support wind gusts to 40 mph or greater with any stronger thunderstorms. Activity will wane by towards sunset with a warm and mostly dry overnight period. Lows tonight drop only to about 70 degrees. Greater heat and humidity push into southeast Michigan tomorrow underneath the ridge as temperatures at 925 mb top 20C. Daytime highs are expected to exceed 90 degrees with dew points pushing 70 degrees. The elevated dew points will help push heat index values into the mid 90s for tomorrow afternoon. Saturday should remain mostly dry as more stable conditions under the ridge arrive. The next chance for precipitation will come late Sunday morning through the afternoon as a mid level wave and associated cold front. Instability will bring a chance for thunderstorms but weak mid-level lapse rates and weak shear precludes any severe potential at this time, but strong storms may be possible with as current frontal timing appears to be favorable in the peak heating time frame. High pressure will follow the frontal passage along with lower humidity values for Monday and through the early week. Summer time high temperatures will remain though with high temperatures holding around normal in the lower/mid 80s. The next chance for precipitation in the forecast will be mid-week as a mid level wave tracks across the central plains and across the southern Great Lakes. MARINE... Low pressure ejecting out of the northern Plains leads to a tightening of the local gradient and strengthening southwest winds Saturday. Strongest gusts, around 20kts, are expected over the central portions of Lake Huron. Due to shoreline effects, the Saginaw Bay has the potential to reach/exceed 25kts Saturday afternoon-evening with waves, particularly in the outer portions of the Bay, being able to approach 3-5ft. While borderline to meet Small Craft Criteria, given the holiday weekend and the rougher waters even if winds/waves come up a bit short, Small Craft Advisories are likely for these waters. Hot, humid airmass returns to the region through the weekend ahead a cold front sagging south from the aforementioned low sliding over the northern Great Lakes. Scattered to numerous showers and storms are expected along the front late Saturday night through Sunday as it crosses. A few showers/storms look to linger into Monday for the southern Great Lakes as the front is slow to fully vacate. High pressure then briefly follows late Monday through Tuesday. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...None. Lake Huron...Small Craft Advisory from 2 PM Saturday to 10 AM EDT Sunday for LHZ421-422. Lake St Clair...None. Michigan waters of Lake Erie...None. && $$ AVIATION.....BT DISCUSSION...AA MARINE.......KDK You can obtain your latest National Weather Service forecasts online at www.weather.gov/detroit.