DETROIT – The weather pattern is going to get quite active through late Wednesday, with two different severe weather possibilities.
First things first: Today will be a dry, but scorching hot day. Mostly sunny skies will become mostly cloudy late this afternoon or this evening but, by that point, the damage will have been done as highs should approach 90 degrees (33 degrees Celsius). A light southeast wind will knock a few degrees off highs near the big lakes on the east side.
Since it’s going to be such a hot day, I want to remind you that it’s going to be too hot for pets to have prolonged outdoor exposure. If there is no choice and your pet must spend the day outdoors, then it must have access to shade and cold water. I also want to add that I’ve seen a marked increase in people walking their dogs during the pandemic. That’s a good thing, but you also need to know that, on a day like this, the pavement will become very hot -- and asphalt will be even hotter than concrete. Walking your dog on this hot pavement could burn the pads of their feet -- if you MUST walk the dog during the hotter part of the day, perhaps try to walk it on the grass. If it’s hot for you, then it’s even hotter for your furry friend.
Today's sunrise is at 5:57 a.m., and today's sunset is at 9:09 p.m.
Showers, thunderstorms tonight
Showers and thunderstorms develop Tuesday night. At first, the activity should be widely scattered, with not much of a severe threat. However, more widespread showers and storms will develop later at night closer to a warm front headed our way.
As I always say (quoting my old friend, Brian Montgomery, who used to work at our local National Weather Service office), “never trust a warm front,” and there is a severe threat with this late-night activity -- strong wind gusts and an isolated tornado are the biggest threats.
Adding to our misery is that it will become oppressively humid overnight, with temperatures only falling into the low to mid 70s (22 to 23 degrees Celsius).
Wednesday forecast
Once this batch of activity moves out, I think most of Wednesday will be dry, with a potent line of showers and storms developing in the late afternoon ahead of a cold front. There is a greater propensity for severe weather with this line since the front will be approaching during the time of peak heating (muggy highs in the upper 80s -- 32 degrees Celsius).
All severe weather modes -- tornadoes, strong wind gusts and hail -- are possible. It appears that the storms will cross the area from west to east between 4 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Regardless of any storms, Wednesday will be a windy day, with gusts approaching 40 mph certainly possible.
Make sure that you have multiple ways to receive warnings -- our FREE Local4Casters app (make sure notifications are turned on) and a Midland NOAA Weather Radio is the perfect combination.
Once the storms end Wednesday evening, becoming partly cloudy, with lows in the low 60s (16 degrees Celsius).
Partly cloudy, cooler and less humid Thursday and Friday, with highs in the upper 70s (26 degrees Celsius) Thursday and in the mid 70s (24 to 25 degrees Celsius) on Friday. It will still be a bit windy on Thursday.
The upcoming weekend looks dry, but cooler. Mostly sunny to partly cloudy on Saturday, with highs in the upper 60s (20 degrees Celsius), and mostly sunny on Sunday, with highs in the low 70s (22 degrees Celsius).
And it appears that we’ll stay dry possibly through the end of next week, with gradual warming.