DETROIT – We are mostly cloudy and mostly dry as we get going on this early Monday morning and Storm Tracker 4 is tracking a wintry mix and mostly snow south and west, moving our way.
The air above us has been dry and there is a drying wind from the NE 5-10mph today that may delay the start time of what should be mostly snow.
Here comes the snow
We will start the morning drive on the dry side but it’s a matter of time before the moisture makes its way to Metro Detroit. Temperatures are in the lower 30s with wind chills in the mid to upper 20s.
Although we cannot rule out some rain mixing in, but we should see mostly snow after 9 a.m. today and it will be coming down at a pretty good clip for a good portion of the late morning.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Sanilac, and Lapeer Counties all the way through the Thumb starting at noon today.
The Advisory carries the concern of 3-5″ of new snow and very tricky travel conditions, mostly for those areas north of Detroit and it won’t expire until 7 p.m. south of I-69 and 4 a.m. Tuesday north of I-69.
That dry air and drying wind we mentioned will also help the air cool above the surface keeping snow in play even into the afternoon today all across SE Lower Michigan and Southern Ontario.
Ground temp key
The ground has been gradually warming even after a cool weekend here, so it will be tough for the snow to start sticking, especially on the streets and highways. But it will be possible, as will some light rain again mixing in at times as temperatures warm into the upper 30s through the afternoon and wind chills may stay around or below freezing all day. When the precipitation starts to wrap up into the evening hours, we may have an inch to as much as three inches on the grass with some areas possibly seeing a little more.
Our computer models are calling for 3-5″ of accumulating snow in Detroit, but they are not keyed in on our ground temperatures, spotty rain mixing in, and drying winds.
Rest of the week
We may see some light flurries or drizzle as we head into the late-night hours and early overnight hours as temps take a dip down to near freezing or colder. Most of Tuesday looks dry but still cool and then we’ll add a cold wind into the mix. Look for mostly cloudy skies and highs in the mid to maybe upper 40s with winds NW 10-20 gusting to 30mph at times making for a wind chilly day for the thicker coats again.
Most of Wednesday actually looks quite dry too after a cool start in the upper 20s to low 30s with mostly clear skies. Clouds will be on the increase all day, and we will see some rain approaching from the south and west into the evening hours. High temps should hit the low or even mid 50s and a breezy day with winds SSE 7-17mph.
Rain showers look to be pretty heavy and steady late Wednesday into the morning drive Thursday. A little spit and drizzle is possible through the morning hours before we see things drying out again Thursday afternoon as highs take off into the middle 60s with a warming wind SW 7-17mph.
There is a chance for rain and thundershowers on Friday afternoon as we again settle in the mid 60s. And all signs point to warmer weather this coming weekend taking us into the low or mid 70s with some showers around... stay tuned.
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