DETROIT – I discussed our dry conditions in yesterday's weather article (many of us have had less than a half-inch of rain in the past two weeks), so you know we need some rain.
And there’s no guarantee we’ll get some today -- but another concern has surfaced, which I’ll discuss below.
We’ll have a ton of sun today, with highs reaching the upper 80s (31 degrees Celsius). A cold front will approach the area this evening, so we have a thunderstorm chance -- but this morning’s high-resolution computer models suggest that coverage will be widely scattered -- more of us probably won’t get rain than will.
The bigger concern, however, is that during the narrow window where thunderstorms are possible (roughly between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.), the atmosphere will become highly unstable, and we’ll have some wind shear aloft (wind direction changing as you go up).
As such, IF we can generate any thunderstorms, there’s a chance they could become severe, with strong wind gusts and hail. I do not expect any tornadoes. But again, the question is how many storms will pop up and, right now, the answer appears to be not too many -- it’s all going to depend upon just how humid it gets -- that’s the final ingredient.
Regardless, this is a good afternoon to check the radar on our free Local4Casters Weather App if you have outdoor plans very late this afternoon or early this evening. It's also a good idea to have your weather set and ready to alert you should any warnings be issued.
A lot of people have been asking, so I want to mention that the Midland WR120 NOAA Weather is still available at local Meijer stores -- these are the radios we show you every year on our Weather Radio Campaign Days (which had to be cancelled this year due to COVID-19).
Friday's sunrise is at 5:58 a.m., and Friday's sunset is at 9:06 p.m.
Once any evening storms end, skies become clear Friday night, with lows in the low 60s (17 degrees Celsius). Northwest wind at 5 to 10 mph will start bringing in some drier air.
Mostly sunny on Saturday, with highs in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees (26 to 27 degrees Celsius).
Clear Saturday night, with lows in the mid 50s (13 degrees Celsius).
Sunny on Sunday and Monday, with highs in the mid 70s (24 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, and near 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) on Monday.
Mostly sunny to partly cloudy on Tuesday, and it's going to get hot, with highs approaching 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius).
The moisture from Tropical Storm Cristobal arrives sometime on Wednesday, with showers and possible thunderstorms developing. We need that rain! Highs in the low 80s (28 degrees Celsius).
Thursday and Friday will be partly cloudy with possible showers...but there is some uncertainty in the rain chances. Highs near 80 degrees (27 degrees Celsius) on Thursday and in the mid 70s (24 degrees Celsius) on Friday.
Tentatively, next weekend looks mostly sunny, with comfortable humidity, and highs between 75 and 80 degrees (24 and 27 degrees Celsius)!