Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI
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762 FXUS63 KDTX 160549 AFDDTX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI 149 AM EDT Tue Jul 16 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... * A strong line of thunderstorms will cross SE MI around and after midnight tonight. Scattered damaging wind gusts will be possible mainly south of I-69. * Heavy rainfall is likely with these storms potentially leading to areas of flooding particularly in urban areas. A Flood Watch is in effect for the M-59 and I-94 counties. * A slow moving cold front keeps scattered showers and non-severe thunderstorms in the forecast for Tuesday. A few afternoon showers also possible Wednesday afternoon as a cooler airmass settles in. * High pressure brings cooler and less humid weather into the region for the late week period. && .AVIATION... MCV rolling across southern MI at press time which will impact locations south of PTK. Lot of lightning to accompany the storms with wind gusts around 35 knots possibly. Subsidence behind the MCV should help scour out clouds pretty efficiently as it did yesterday with VFR conditions for the bulk of the day after this system passes. The strongest storms should be east of DTW/DET around 08Z but some lingering showers may persist a couple more hours. Westerly winds will turn NW tonight as a cold front drops NW to SE through the region later this evening into the overnight. This could require a couple hours of SH or TS but we`ll look more into that in the coming forecasts. For DTW/D21 Convection...A weakening MCV will roll across the airspace over the next 2 hours from about 06-08Z tonight. Strong wind gusts are the primary hazard along with ample lightning. Some small hail cannot be rules out but has not been reported thus far upstream. Showers will linger toward 12Z with rapid improvements expected as subsidence behind the system scours out the clouds. DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * High for thunderstorms 06-08Z tonight. * Medium for ceilings aob 5,000 early tomorrow morning. && .PREV DISCUSSION... Issued at 308 PM EDT Mon Jul 15 2024 DISCUSSION... Active subsidence in the wake of this morning`s MCV has led to mostly sunny-partly cloudy skies this afternoon supporting a respectable temperature rebound back into the mid 80s for most areas as well as a few upper 80s. For the rest of the evening, muggy but dry conditions hold before another round of thunderstorms arrives overnight. A shortwave trough digging into the northern Plains helps spur the development of convection along the stalled cold frontal boundary currently draped over the upper Midwest. This convection will quickly grow upscale into a mature MCS by the time it reaches the western Great Lakes/northern Ohio Valley late this evening/early tonight. Arrival timing for SE MI will be around and after midnight falling within the diurnal instability minima. That said, CAMs still suggest several hundred to around 1300 J/kg of SBCAPE will be available over the area, focused south of I-69, which should be more than sufficient to maintain this line all the way through the CWA (albeit with a gradual weakening trend). Storm mode favors damaging wind gusts as the primary severe threat with best potential south of I-69 given favored track of the line over northern IN/southern lower MI and forecast soundings showing around 1000 J/kg of DCAPE locally; currently these areas are highlighted by a Slight Risk from SPC. In addition to the aforementioned severe threats, heavy rain and flooding will be a hazard with these storms. Humid airmass currently in place will be reinforced by a nocturnal southwest LLJ feeding moisture into southern lower MI pushing PW values near 2". While the progressive nature of the line should help to reduce residence time over any single location, given the magnitude of moisture within this airmass, warm cloud layers between 13-15kft, and wet recent pattern including this morning with areas along/just north of M-59 picking up a quick 1-4 inches of rain, have opted to issue a Flood Watch for the M-59 and I-94 counties- mainly for urban flooding potential. Parent cold front still looking to stall out over the southern half of the area (roughly south of a Sandusky-Flint line) Tuesday. This becomes the focal point for renewed scattered shower and non-severe storm chances through the early evening with diurnal instability climbs back near 1000 J/kg. Front is eventually forced east of the region by late Tuesday evening as the upper trough drops into the northern Great Lakes. Said trough slides across the central Great Lakes mid to late week bringing with it a much cooler, drier airmass. 850mb temps drop to 5-8C (down from 15-17C) and surface dewpoints fall back into the 60s and eventually 50s late week. Can`t rule out a couple (thunder)showers Wednesday afternoon-early evening as CAA aloft modestly steepens lapse rates and a secondary cold front sweeps through. Surface high pressure builds in by Thursday before drifting overhead through Saturday supporting sunnier, pleasant conditions to close out the week. MARINE... Benign marine conditions are expected for the remaining daylight hours before a line of strong to possibly severe thunderstorms impacts areas south of Saginaw Bay after midnight tonight (04z). The system will be well-defined before reaching the area but may weaken some given the overnight timing. This is not a guarantee given the warm and unstable airmass that is in place, so boaters should be prepared for wind gusts to 50 knots, large hail to an inch, and heavy rainfall with rates up to an inch per hour through at least daybreak Tuesday. The thunderstorm complex exits the area by 12z or so, although storm-scale pressure perturbations may produce gusty winds up to 30 knots (as seen with the MCS this morning) and elevated wave heights even after precipitation ends. A short-fused Small Craft Advisory is possible Tuesday morning. Chances for showers and storms then continue through Tuesday evening as a cold front slowly drifts across the area, eventually veering winds to the NW. Cooler and showery conditions expected Wednesday as an upper low approaches the Great Lakes which will govern conditions through the mid week period. HYDROLOGY... Another round of thunderstorms are set to arrive tonight, around and after midnight. Humid airmass remains in place and is likely further reinforced ahead of this line of storms. As a result heavy rainfall is expected with these storms with rainfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour. While the progressive nature of the line should help limit residence time over any one location, this humid airmass combined with the recent wet pattern (including the 1-4 inches that fell this morning near M-59) offers the potential for flood concerns mainly across the urban footprints as a quick 1-2" of rainfall is possible. As a result, a Flood Watch has been issued for the M-59 and I-94 counties tonight. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...Flood Watch until 8 AM EDT this morning for MIZ068>070-075-076. Lake Huron...None. Lake St Clair...None. Michigan waters of Lake Erie...None. && $$ AVIATION.....DRK DISCUSSION...KDK MARINE.......MV HYDROLOGY....KDK You can obtain your latest National Weather Service forecasts online at www.weather.gov/detroit.