588  
FXUS63 KDTX 070920  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
520 AM EDT TUE MAY 7 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- THERE IS A CHANCE OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF A MIDLAND TO PORT HURON LINE THIS EVENING,  
THE GREATEST CHANCES ARE ALONG/SOUTH OF THE I-94 CORRIDOR.  
 
- DAMAGING WINDS, LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE THE SEVERE  
WEATHER RISKS.  
 
- WARM AND BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY, FOLLOWED BY  
COOLER CONDITIONS WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN THURSDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
AREAS OF LOW END VFR (3-5 KFT) CLOUDS OVER SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN  
THIS MORNING, TENDING TO FILL IN. HOWEVER, MAY NEED TO WAIT UNTIL 3-  
6 PM UNTIL FIRST ROUND OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVE  
TO SUPPORT MORE WIDESPREAD LOW CLOUDS. A SECOND ROUND OF STRONGER  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH IN THE 22-4Z EVENING  
WINDOW. DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH RAIN FALLS AND THE COVERAGE OF STORMS,  
COULD BE SET UP FOR IFR/LIFR CLOUDS OR FOG TONIGHT AS LIGHT SOUTHWEST  
WINDS ATTEMPT TO DECOUPLE LATE TONIGHT. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH  
ENOUGH TO INTRODUCE AT THIS TIME, BUT WILL ALLOW FOR LIGHT FOG (5SM)  
RESTRICTION FOR NOW, EXCEPT MBS WHERE MVFR CIGS LIKELY HANG AROUND  
LONGER AND SOUTHWEST WINDS REMAIN STRONGER.  
 
FOR DTW/D21 CONVECTION...  
 
THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL INCREASES ACROSS THE REGION IN THE AFTERNOON  
THROUGH THE EVENING. THERE IS A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE  
INTENSITY STORMS ACROSS THE DTW/D21 AREA. THE FIRST ROUND OF ACTIVITY  
MOVES IN ON A WEAKENING TREND BY MID AFTERNOON FOLLOWED BY A ROUND  
OF STRONGER STORMS AFTER 22Z TILL 2Z TUESDAY EVENING.  
 
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...  
 
* MEDIUM FOR CEILING 5000 FEET TODAY, HIGH DURING EVENING, THEN LOW  
OVERNIGHT.  
 
* MEDIUM FOR THUNDERSTORMS 22-02Z THIS EVENING.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 303 AM EDT TUE MAY 7 2024  
 
DISCUSSION...  
 
A STRONG MID TO UPPER LEVEL JET CORE CIRCULATING AROUND THE DEEP  
LARGE SCALE UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS WILL ADVANCE  
FROM THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO THE NORTHERN OHIO VALLEY/SRN  
GREAT LAKES TODAY. MID LEVEL ISENTROPIC ASCENT AND DEEP LAYER  
MOISTURE TRANSPORT ALONG THE LEAD EDGE OF AN 85KT 500MB SPEED MAX  
WILL BE DRIVEN ACROSS LOWER MI THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE LEAD  
EDGE OF ELEVATED FRONTAL FORCING IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS IT  
ADVANCES INTO SE MI EARLY THIS AFTERNOON GIVEN THE LINGERING  
INFLUENCE OF A DEPARTING LOW LEVEL ANTICYCLONE, LIKELY CAUSING THE  
LEAD EDGE OF SHOWERS TO DIMINISH AS THE MOVE INTO SE MI. THE RAP  
THEN INDICATES A RESPECTABLE RIBBON OF FORCED ASCENT DEVELOPING  
ALONG AN AXIS FROM WEST-CENTRAL OHIO INTO SW LOWER MI IN THE 21Z TO  
23Z TIME FRAME, IN TANDEM WITH INCREASING UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE  
ALONG THE NOSE OF A 120 KT UPPER JET STREAK. THIS WILL CORRELATE  
WITH AN INFLUX OF SFC BASED INSTABILITY (WITH SFC DEWPOINTS IN THE  
LOW 60S) LIFTING NORTHWARD ALONG AN APPROACHING SFC WARM FRONT. THE  
RESULT WILL BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEEP CONVECTION IN THE WAKE OF THE  
INITIAL BAND OF SHOWERS. THIS CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SE  
MI DURING THE COURSE OF THE EVENING.  
 
IN TERMS OF KINEMATICS, 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR VALUES ARE FORECAST TO BE  
AN IMPRESSIVE 60-80 KNOTS ACROSS THE NORTHERN OHIO VALLEY INTO SRN  
LOWER MI THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. RAP AND NAM HODOGRAPHS ALSO SHOW  
EXCELLENT LOW LEVEL CURVATURE IN THE VICINITY OF THE APPROACHING SFC  
WARM FRONT; 0-3KM SR HELICITY VALUES OVER 350 M2/S3. THE MAIN CAVEAT  
FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WILL BE WHETHER OR NOT THE SURFACE BASED  
INSTABILITY IS ABLE TO ADVECT IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST, ESPECIALLY  
GIVEN THE EASTERLY COMPONENT TO THE SURFACE WINDS OFF LAKE ERIE.  
WHILE AVAILABLE SB CAPE IS IN QUESTION, 00Z MODEL SOLUTIONS STILL  
DRIVE ANYWHERE FROM 500 TO 1500 J/KG OF ELEVATED CAPE ACROSS SE MI  
THIS EVENING, WITH MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATING RESPECTABLE CAPE  
DENSITY. THESE FACTORS WOULD SUGGEST STORMS THAT DEVELOP UPSTREAM  
WILL BE ROOTED IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER, THEN BECOME MORE ELEVATED AS  
THEY MOVE ACROSS SE MI DURING THE EVENING. GIVEN THE CLOSE PROXIMITY  
TO THE SFC INSTABILITY RESERVOIR (AS WELL AS THE INSTABILITY  
GRADIENT), THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA REMAINS IN A  
SLIGHT RISK FOR ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING TORNADOES.  
SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL BE MORE A RESULT OF HAIL AND ISOLATED  
STRONG WIND GUSTS RISK FARTHER NORTH WHERE THE DEPTH OF THE SFC  
STABLE LAYER WILL BECOME MUCH GREATER. UPSTREAM CONVECTIVE MODE IS  
EXPECTED TO BE SUPERCELLULAR, TRANSITIONING TO MULTI CELL CLUSTER  
AND/OR LINEAR AS STORMS MOVE ACROSS SE MI.  
 
AMPLE MID LEVEL DRYING WILL EXPAND ACROSS THE AREA IN THE WAKE OF  
THE EVENING CONVECTION AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL  
WARRANT A DRY FORECAST AS DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE WITHIN AN  
AMPLIFYING SHORT IS FORECAST TO REMAIN FOCUSED ACROSS THE NORTHERN  
LAKES. DEEP MIXING DEPTH PER MODEL SOUNDINGS AND A RESPECTABLE  
WESTERLY FLOW (25-30 KNOTS WITHIN THE MIXED LAYER) WILL SUPPORT  
BREEZY CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. A LOW LEVEL THERMAL GRADIENT WILL  
EXTEND ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA, WITH HIGHS ACROSS THE THUMB HARD  
PRESSED TO BREAK 70, WHILE METRO DETROIT/ANN ARBOR AND POINTS SOUTH  
SHOULD BREAK 80.  
 
THERE CONTINUES TO BE AMPLE SPREAD AMONG MODEL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS AS  
TO THE TRACK OF THE REMNANTS OF THE UPSTREAM UPPER LOW. THERE IS AT  
LEAST AGREEMENT THAT THIS SYSTEM WILL QUICKLY DAMPEN/SHEAR APART AS  
IT TRACKS ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND SRN GREAT LAKES THURS/THURSDAY  
NIGHT. MODEL SPREAD INVOLVES TIMING AND THE DEGREE OF INTERACTION  
WITH SHORT WAVE IMPULSES DROPPING DOWN FROM CANADA AND PRECISE  
TIMING AND LOCATION OF THE ASSOCIATED MID LEVEL DEFORMATION, WHICH  
LEADS TO A LOW CONFIDENCE RAIN FORECAST. ANY INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN  
WELL SOUTH AND GIVEN THE EXPECTED NORTHEAST SURFACE FLOW, WHICH WILL  
BE A COOL RAIN WHEREVER IT SETS UP OVER SOUTHERN MI.  
 
MARINE...  
 
INFLUENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE WANES OVER THE COURSE OF TODAY AS  
MIDWESTERN LOW PRESSURE LIFTS A WARM FRONT INTO THE REGION LATE THIS  
AFTERNOON-EVENING. SOME STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE  
OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES THIS EVENING. SYSTEM'S COLD FRONT  
QUICKLY FOLLOWS TONIGHT SETTING UP SLIGHTLY COOLER WESTERLY FLOW  
WEDNESDAY THAT THEN TURNS NORTHEASTERLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. COOLER  
AIRMASS COMBINED WITH A TIGHTER GRADIENT DUE TO SECONDARY LOW  
DEVELOPMENT OVER THE OHIO VALLEY SUPPORTS A MODERATE UPTICK IN WIND  
STRENGTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH GUSTS TOPPING OUT BETWEEN 15-  
25KTS EACH DAY. SAGINAW BAY COULD SEE GUSTS NEAR 30KTS THURSDAY DUE  
TO NE WINDS CHANNELING DOWN THE BAY.  
 
HYDROLOGY...  
 
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHEAST  
MICHIGAN LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. DESPITE A VERY  
DRY START TO THE DAY, AMPLE MOISTURE ADVECTION INTO THE AREA DURING  
THE LATTER HALF OF THE DAY WILL ALLOW SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS TO  
PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. AS IS TYPICAL IN THESE TYPE OF  
CONVECTIVE SITUATIONS, RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE HIGHLY VARIABLE  
ACROSS THE REGION, WITH HIGH END AMOUNTS UP TO A QUARTER TO HALF  
INCH POSSIBLE. OVERALL, BASIN AVERAGE RAINFALL SHOULD NOT POSE  
FLOODING CONCERNS.  
 

 
   
DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MI...NONE.  
LAKE HURON...NONE.  
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.  
MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
AVIATION.....SF  
DISCUSSION...SC  
MARINE.......KDK  
HYDROLOGY....SC  
 
YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE  
AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT.  
 
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