DETROIT – A Flood Watch will be in effect for Lenawee, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties from Thursday, from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Welcome to Tuesday, Motown.
Sunshine is warming our hearts, but we will need our winter coats to warm our bodies today. Tonight will not be as frigid as the last few. In fact, overnight temperatures will hover around the same levels we had during the day and even rise by tomorrow morning.
Then we go on a wild weather ride. It becomes much milder tomorrow afternoon. Rain arrives and becomes much heavier at tomorrow night posing flood concerns. Thursday, rain changes to snow with a decent amount accumulating. Then it becomes colder again in time for Winter Blast this weekend.
Tuesday is mostly partly sunny and cold. Temperatures are slightly below average instead of greatly below average; around 30°F.
Sunset is at 6:05 p.m.
Tuesday evening will be fair I just as cold. Temperature stay around 30°F.
Tonight, a strong southerly wind will blow milder air into the region and keep temperatures hovering around 30° then rising to the lower middle 30s by dawn.
Sunrise is at 7:29 a.m.
Wednesday
Wednesday goes from partly sunny to mostly cloudy, and it will be much warmer. The mercury rises to near 50°F by the end of the day and into the evening. Wet weather develops late in the afternoon. At first, the raindrops will be scattered. Then, they will coalesce and become more widespread by sunset and Wednesday night.
We will get a good soaking late Wednesday night and Thursday morning. 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall in some spots, and the quick runoff over any ice or still-frozen ground could lead to a quick increase in water levels of our waterways or streets. All this wetness is ahead of a cold front that pushes through Detroit in Southeast Michigan Thursday.
Thursday
Thursday will have rain in the morning and snow in the afternoon. Temperatures will be falling all day from the 40s to the low 30s and 20s. So, the morning commute will be soggy, and the afternoon commute will be snowy. By the end of Thursday night, early computer models vary wildly.
Snow Accumulations Vary
Some have 3 to 6 inches of snow across Southeast Michigan with the bulk of the snow south of 8 Mile Road and closer to the Michigan-Ohio border. Others have 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulating in Southeast Michigan with much more falling in the Saginaw Valley, which is far north and west.
For now, I have more confidence in 3 to 6 inches of snow possible in Southeast Michigan, and this remains open to change. Please, stay tuned.
Weekend forecast
What is certain is that Friday and this weekend will feel more like winter. It gets colder.
Friday becomes mostly sunny. Temperatures start in the teens and low 20s and end up around 25°F in the afternoon.
Saturday and Sunday will be partly the mostly sunny and chilly. The weather will be perfect for families going to winter blast in Royal Oak. Each day will have high temperatures in the low and middle 30s.
Weather links
Remember to download the FREE Local4Casters weather app -- it’s easily one of the best in the nation. Just search your app store under WDIV and it’s right there available for both iPhones and Androids! Or click the appropriate link below.