It just may be colder out there this morning than it was Monday morning here in Metro Detroit as we awake to temperatures in the teens with just a couple of days left in March.
The one big difference today is a gentler breeze which means lower teens for wind chills and fewer single digit wind chills like yesterday. Still, the chill will cause cold troubles if you are not properly protected.
I know, this is stuff we should be talking about in January and February which is why it’s even more important to be aware so that you are prepared. There is a little relief coming.
We will see sun and clouds give way to mostly clear skies bringing lots of beautiful sunshine today and, we will be warmer at noon than we were here all day yesterday. Highs will land near 40F this afternoon with winds ESE 5-10 becoming 5-15mph later in the afternoon producing a light bite in the air feeling like the lower 30s.
Our skies will start to fill up with high clouds in the late, late afternoon which is a sign from mother nature that change is coming. This will come in the form of a very tricky storm late tonight and overnight.
SUNSET: 7:56 PM
Winter weather advisory tonight into Wednesday
All of Metro Detroit will be in a Winter Weather Advisory starting at 10pm Tuesday, lasting overnight and expiring at noon Wednesday. The main concern is the snow and ice on the roads overnight making for miserable travel conditions in many spots. Look for a wintry mix to move in just before midnight and this could very well be snow, sleet, and a little bit of freezing rain, or ice.
Temps will fall to near or below freezing late tonight and overnight for a few hours and this is the time for the risk of ice. All of Pure Michigan will be in this Winter Weather Advisory overnight and conditions will worsen for us north of M 59 in our North Zone. And, for most of Central and Northern Lower for the possibility of a tenth to a quarter of an inch of ice and an inch of snow mainly midnight to 6am Wednesday.
Parts of our West and North Zones will be cold enough during this precipitation buffet to bring some light ice accumulation during the overnight hours. So the Wednesday morning commute will be most dangerous in our North Zone and into Northern Michigan.
The general belief is that most of Metro Detroit will see above freezing temps by 5-6am and that would prevent ice from forming on the roads, power lines, and everything. Instead, it will become more sloppy and slippery rather than icy and treacherous.
We need to be prepared for the worse and you might want to consider working from home tomorrow morning, or delaying the start to your day so we can warm into safer weather territory.
Most of our Wednesday morning will be filled with scattered rain showers as warmer air moves in and the winds begin to crank. After the morning showers, skies become partly sunny at best on Hump Day with highs taking off to near 60F.
This will be a short lived warm up as we are tracking cooler temps behind this midweek storm. Winds will be from the SSE 10-20mph. More showers move in late, late Wednesday into early Thursday and this time it’s all rain.
Temps will be in the upper 40s as this system moves through and temps will stay in the upper 40s to low 50s with breezy conditions SW 10-25mph.
Friday ice concerns
Friday may begin with a few rain and snow showers and that ice threat will once again be an issue. Most of the day Friday is dry and on the cooler side again. We will wake to temps near 32F before highs head into the mid 40s under mostly cloudy to partly cloudy skies. Yes, those winds are still whipping NW 10-20mph.
Weekend outlook
The weekend looks mostly dry with highs near 50F and a slight chance for a light rain shower Saturday evening. Try the Local4Casters App if you haven’t already and see how helpful it is for you when dealing with our ever-changing weather. It’s all you need to prepare for our active weather in Pure Michigan and around the World. Plus, It’s free!