The rain sure came down on Monday and, by day's end, we had a widespread one-to-two inches of rain, with some areas exceeding two inches. Officially at Metro Airport, the 1.71 inches of rain received eclipsed the old May 18th daily rainfall record of 1.50 inches, set in 2000.
Even heavier rain fell farther north of us in Midland County, where the Sanford and Edenville dams along the Tittabawassee River are being monitored for possible failure.
Showers in the area this morning, most prevalent across the southern half of the area, will diminish this afternoon and we should all be dry by the end of the day. In fact, some breaks of sun will even work their way into parts of the area (especially north) before sunset. Highs in the mid 60s (18 degrees Celsius), with an east wind at 10 to 20 mph.
Those east winds, continue to push record or near-record high lake water to the west, so Lakeshore Flood Warnings continue until 4:00 p.m. for the west shores of Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huron.
Furthermore, those east winds and the rising water levels on the St. Clair River are also causing flood problems on the Michigan side of the river, so a Flood Warning remains in effect there until 2:00 p.m.
Today’s sunrise was at 6:08 a.m., and today’s sunset is at 8:52 p.m.
Becoming partly cloudy Tuesday night, with lows in the low 50s (11 degrees Celsius). East wind diminishing to 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday and Thursday
We finally get back to some sunshine on Wednesday, with highs in the mid 60s (18 degrees Celsius).
Mostly clear Wednesday night, with lows near 50 degrees (10 degrees Celsius).
We should still have some sunshine on Thursday, although clouds could increase later in the day. Highs in the mid 60s (19 degrees Celsius).
Mostly cloudy Thursday night, with lows in the mid 50s (12 degrees Celsius).
Friday
Friday is still a bit of a toss-up, as that large, meandering, sprawling cut-off low I explained yesterday finally starts to weaken and drift off to the northeast. We'll probably have more clouds around, with a few light showers possible - maybe. Highs, though, will start to moderate, and should reach the low to mid 70s (23 degrees Celsius).
Memorial Day Weekend
Although there are still some uncertainties, Saturday appears to be a good day, with some sunshine and highs warmer further into the upper 70s (26 degrees Celsius).
Sunday and Monday could end up the same, although the long-range computer models are struggling with the timing of a cold front to our west. Right now, plan for some sunshine with a small shower chance on Sunday, and a slightly better chance for a shower on Memorial Day. Highs Sunday and Monday in the low 80s (28 degrees Celsius).
Keep in mind that there are a number of meteorological factors coming into play for our holiday weekend, and there could be changes. We’ll keep you posted on the free Local4Casters Weather App, on ClickOnDetroit.com and, of course, on Local 4.
Interesting Weather Stat
Over the period from May 8th through May 18th, we set or tied five different daily weather records in Detroit!
May 8th: Trace of snow (daily snowfall record)
May 9th: 27° (daily record low temp)
May 10th: 0.5" of snow (daily snowfall record)
May 12th: Trace of snow (daily snowfall record)
May 18th: 1.17″ of rain (daily rainfall record)