DETROIT – Tuesday (March 15) was a minor setback, as cooler temperatures moved in behind Monday night’s cold front. But don’t worry, there’s plenty to smile about in this forecast.
Skies will clear Tuesday, and that, combined with diminishing wind, may lead to some areas of fog or even some stratus clouds later at night on the eastside and in the thumb as the marine layer over the big lakes potentially oozes inland. Lows will be in the low-to-mid 30s (0 to 1 degree Celsius).
Tuesday evening’s sunset is at 7:40 p.m., and Wednesday morning’s sunrise is at 7:43 a.m.
Wednesday
Any fog or clouds around first thing Wednesday morning will diminish as the sun gets higher and we warm-up, leaving us with partly cloudy skies overall for the day. You’ll notice the rebound in temperatures, too, as afternoon highs approach 60 degrees (15 to 16 degrees Celsius). South wind at 7 to 12 mph will keep those of you immediately north of Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron cooler, of course.
Partly cloudy and not as cold Wednesday night, with lows in the low 40s (6 degrees Celsius).
Thursday
Partly cloudy Thursday morning, then increasing afternoon clouds with a small shower chance by late afternoon. As long as we can keep the showers at bay, we can enjoy those highs in the mid-60s (18 degrees Celsius).
A few showers are possible Thursday night, with lows in the low 40s (5 degrees Celsius).
While we could see a few showers Friday morning, coverage will increase Friday afternoon into Friday night. Afternoon temperatures will cool into the mid-to-upper 40s (8 to 9 degrees Celsius) Friday, with lows Friday night in the upper 30s (4 degrees Celsius).
Weekend forecast
Saturday will be a miserable weather day for the second weekend in a row. Expect rain showers, breezy conditions, and chilly highs in the mid-40s (8 degrees Celsius).
Sunday looks much better, with skies becoming mostly sunny as the day progresses and highs rebounding into the mid-50s (13 to 14 degrees Celsius).
Next week
Monday looks fantastic, with partly cloudy skies and highs back near 60 degrees (15 degrees Celsius).
Detroit weather history
On this date in 2012, we set a record high of 77 degrees (25 degrees Celsius), and that was the first of nine consecutive days in the 70s and 80s, just remarkable for March. However, these early spring extended warm spells (becoming more frequent due to climate change) – as highly anticipated and welcomed as they may be – usually come with negative repercussions. Sometimes, as in 2012, this causes fruit trees to bloom early, and those blooms can then later be killed by frost. In the case of 2012, Michigan lost most of its tart cherry crop due to the unusual early warmth, not to mention some other fruit crops.
But the early season warmth is sometimes also accompanied by violent weather. We saw this in 1976 when an F4 tornado devastated West Bloomfield on March 20th (teenager Paul Gross huddled in his basement only three miles away) and, 10 years ago today, when an EF3 tornado did significant damage in Dexter. That tornado was an unusual one in that the twister’s forward speed was so slow. The Dexter tornado only traveled around seven miles in thirty-five or forty minutes if memory serves me correct. That meant that structures impacted by the tornado experienced those winds for a more extended period of time than with a tornado traveling at a more typical speed. In fact, the tornado’s strength was more likely EF2, but the damage ended up being EF3 because of the extended exposure. So, the National Weather Service had no choice but to rate it an EF3 tornado since the rating is based upon the damage caused.
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