DETROIT – The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties until 8 P.M. Sunday.
Rain and thunderstorms develop later this evening ahead of a warm front moving northward out of Ohio.
While I do not expect a widespread severe weather outbreak, any robust storm that develops north of that warm front could produce one-inch hail. The greater concern (and lower probability) is that a storm near and just south of that warm front could develop some rotation, which brings the small chance for a brief, weak tornado. Keep a close eye on our app’s radar this evening.
The wild card tonight is how far north that warm front gets. Over my career, I’ve seen a lot of early spring warm fronts stalled by east winds blowing cool air off Lakes Erie and Huron. Some computer models bring the front well north into our area, but past experience tells me that it could be a struggle. The best window for a severe storm is between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., so make sure that your weather radio is set before you go to bed in case any warnings are issued overnight.
Some of the storms will produce torrential downpours, and deposit that rain onto areas that already got one-to-two inches of rain earlier today. As such, the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for areas south of 8 Mile until 10:00 a.m. Sunday.
Temperatures tonight behind the warm front rocket into the mid to upper 50s (13 to 14 degrees Celsius) -- watch the warmer temps coming our way on the app this evening, too.
Shower and thunderstorm chances end by 8:00 a.m. as a strong cold front crosses the area late tonight. Most of us will wake up Sunday morning to those mild overnight temperatures, and perhaps to some sunshine, too.
The morning hours is your best opportunity for a walk or jog around the neighborhood. But don’t be fooled: clouds will return, scattered showers will develop by early afternoon, temperatures will start falling (into the upper 40s -- 9 degrees Celsius) by late afternoon, and the wind will increase. In fact, we could see gusts of 40-45 mph, which is why the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday.
It’ll be interesting to watch the falling temperatures and increasing wind on our app.
Again, it’s going to be a wild weekend of weather. I have you covered on all of our newscasts this weekend on Local 4, on ClickOnDetroit.com, on our app, and on Twitter (follow me at @PGLocal4 for personalized updates).
Be safe!