DETROIT – Exactly on schedule, higher moisture-content air roared into southeast Michigan today. The day started off comfortable, and then it was off to the races. Take a look at the dramatic jump in dew point temperatures, as recorded at Metro Airport:
- 7:00 a.m.: 58°
- 8:00 a.m.: 59°
- 9:00 a.m.: 62°
- 10:00 a.m.: 64°
- 11:00 a.m.: 67°
- 12:00 p.m.: 69°
- 1:00 p.m.: 69°
- 2:00 p.m.: 70°
So why does the air feel stickier when the dew point rises? Because the closer the dew point is to the actual air temperature, the more humid it is. It’s that simple. This humid air mass is going to stick around until Tuesday morning before relief comes in the form of a cold front -- the front edge of a drier air mass.
As a result, tonight will be warm and muggy, with only a slight thunderstorm chance. Lows in the low 70s (21 to 22 degrees Celsius) will make it a very challenging night for those without air conditioning. South-southwest wind at 4 to 8 mph.
This evening’s sunset is at 8:42 p.m., and Monday’s sunrise is at 6:36 a.m.
Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, hot and humid on Monday, with scattered thunderstorms possible -- best chance is late in the day. Highs in the low 90s (32 degrees Celsius), with the humidity making it feel like mid 90s (34 degrees Celsius).
There’s a better chance of thunderstorms Monday night, but this afternoon’s high resolution computer models suggest that they could end scattered. We’d better get a nice soaking rain, because we are still in Abnormally Dry or Moderate Drought conditions across the area and, if we don’t get any meaningful rain, then it might not be until the end of the week or next weekend before we get our next chance. That would not be good -- remember our farmers during this dry summer.
Monday night remains oppressively muggy, with lows again only in the low 70s (21 to 22 degrees Celsius).
A scattered shower or thunderstorm is still possible Tuesday morning ahead of the approaching cold front. Then here comes the calvary: once the front comes through, we’ll start to see that drier air come in. Highs Tuesday in the mid 80s (30 degrees Celsius).
Becoming mostly clear Tuesday night, which is great news for those who want to see the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower! The best time to watch is between 11:00 p.m. and dawn…I’ll have a special report showing you where to look and also some eye-opening factoids about the Perseids Tuesday morning on Local 4 News Today between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m.! Of course, we’ll also put that information here on ClickOnDetroit.com Tuesday morning, so watch for it! Lows Tuesday night in the mid 60s (18 degrees Celsius).
The Wednesday through Friday timeframe looks relatively stable, weather-wise, with mostly sunny or partly cloudy skies, and highs in the mid 80s (29 degrees Celsius) and overnight lows in the mid 60s (18 degrees Celsius). Some models try to generate a few random thunderstorms on Friday, but this is highly uncertain.
Next Weekend
Not surprisingly this far out, the computer models are not in agreement about next weekend’s rain chances. Right now, it appears that a scattered storm is possible Saturday, with perhaps a little better chance on Sunday.
What appears more certain is that the dew point (see, I’m coming full circle -- this article started with a discussion about dew point) will increase next weekend, so it will become more uncomfortable, with overnight lows rising into the upper 60s (20 degrees Celsius) by Sunday. Daytime highs in the mid 80s (30 degrees Celsius) Saturday to possibly upper 80s (31 degrees Celsius) on Sunday.
Track the radar: