DETROIT – Winter is beginning on a mild note in Metro Detroit, and the above-average temperatures are not going anywhere soon.
Following highs in the upper 30s and lower 40s Thursday afternoon, lows will only fall to the mid 30s in Metro Detroit. Normal highs for Detroit in late December are in the mid 30s. Under mostly cloudy skies, winds will be out of the east-southeast at 5 to 10 mph.
Winter begins
The winter solstice occurs at 10:27 p.m.
Friday
Friday, the first full day of winter, will be mostly cloudy with the chance of a few rain showers by the afternoon. The chance of rain will increase in the evening. Temperatures will rise to the lower 40s, and lows will fall to the mid 30s. Winds will be out of the southeast at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday
Rain showers will still be in the area on Saturday morning, and a couple of spotty showers will linger into the early afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 40s, which is about 10 degrees warmer than normal. Mild lows will be around 40 degrees.
Sunday
Sunday, or Christmas Eve, will be cloudy and unseasonably mild. Highs will be around 50 degrees or some 15 degrees above normal. Lows will be in the lower 40s.
Christmas
There is a chance of precipitation Monday, but it will not deliver a White Christmas. It will be mostly cloudy with a chance of late-day, and mainly nighttime, rain showers. Temperatures will be well above freezing with highs in the lower 50s, but they will be shy of Detroit’s record of 64 degrees (from 1982). Low temperatures in the lower to mid 40s will be about 20 degrees warmer than normal.
The 30-year average high at Detroit Metro Airport for Dec. 25 is 35 degrees, while the average high for Oct. 31 is 56 degrees. The weather this Christmas will be closer to what would be expected for a normal Halloween. However, Halloween 2023 gave Detroit record snowfall (0.2 inches) for the date.