419  
FXUS63 KDTX 192314  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
714 PM EDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
   
AVIATION  
 
//DISCUSSION...  
 
RIDGING AT ALL LEVELS WILL MAINTAIN MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS, CLEAR  
SKIES, AND LIGHT SE WINDS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. HOWEVER, INCREASING  
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL POSE A RISK FOR FOG DEVELOPMENT AFTER ABOUT  
07Z TONIGHT...PARTICULARLY FOR THE DETROIT AREA INCLUDING  
KDTW/KYIP/KDET WHERE THERE WILL BE A CONTRIBUTION OF COOL & MOIST  
LOW-LEVEL AIR FROM LAKE ERIE. SHOULD FOG FORM, VSBYS IN THE MVFR  
RANGE CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH THE LAKE CONTRIBUTION DELAYING  
BURN-OFF UNTIL AT LEAST 12Z MONDAY MORNING.  
 
BY LATE MORNING...DIURNAL MIXING WILL ALLOW SE WINDS TO GUST UP TO  
20 MPH AS A SCATTERED CU FIELD DEVELOPS AROUND 4KFT...BECOMING  
BROKEN AROUND 4-5KFT BY LATE AFTERNOON AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
PUSH INTO THE AREA. CONFIDENCE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
AFFECTING THE AREA AFTER 21Z REMAINS RATHER HIGH, BUT CONFIDENCE  
REMAINS LOW WITH REGARD TO THE POTENTIAL IMPACT FOR ANY ONE  
LOCATION. WILL THEREFORE ONLY INTRODUCE SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST FOR  
MONDAY AFTERNOON, EXCEPT FOR THE ADDITION OF THUNDER TO KMBS WHERE  
THE PROBABILITY IS HIGHEST.  
 
//DTW THRESHOLD THREATS...  
 
* MEDIUM CONFIDENCE IN CEILINGS BELOW 5KFT AFTER 21Z MONDAY  
 
* LOW CONFIDENCE THAT A THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT KDTW AIRSPACE  
 
 
   
PREV DISCUSSION  
ISSUED 407 PM EDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
SHORT TERM...TONIGHT  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS WILL SLIDE OVER LOWER MICHIGAN THIS  
EVENING/TONIGHT PROVIDING AN EXPECTED DRY NIGHT. THERE IS A WARM  
FRONT WHICH LIFTS NORTH...BUT MUCH BETTER DEFINED TO OUR WEST.  
A WEAKENING SURGE OF 925 MB THETA-E ARRIVES TOWARD 12Z MONDAY...WITH  
COMPUTED LIS OF -7 C...BUT THAT LAYER LOOKS TO REMAIN UNSATURATED.  
IF ACTIVITY DOES MATERIALIZE...IT WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY BE AFTER  
12Z ANYWAY.  
 
WITH THE INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...ALREADY REFLECTED IN THIS  
AFTERNOON DEW PTS PUSHING INTO THE LOWER 60S (SOUTH)...COMES THE  
POTENTIAL FOR FOG...ESPECIALLY WITH COOLING INFLUENCE OF LAKE ERIE.  
ON THE FLIP SIDE...SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN HAS HAD AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF  
DRY WEATHER...AND NOT FULLY CONVINCED WE WILL SEE MUCH MORE THAN THE  
STANDARD 3-5 SM FOG/HAZE...AS MINS EXPECTED TO ONLY DROP BACK INTO  
THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S.  
 
LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY  
 
A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT INITIALLY SETS UP ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS MONDAY MORNING WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS/UPPER MIDWEST THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY. THE MODELS HAVE COME  
INTO AN AGREEMENT THAT DESPITE 500MB HEIGHTS CLOSING OFF WITHIN THE  
CENTER OF THE TROUGH...BEHAVIOR OF THE SYSTEM WILL NOT ACT LIKE A  
TRUE CUTOFF LOW. INSTEAD...VARIOUS SHORTWAVES WILL ROTATE AROUND THE  
DIFFUSE LOW ALLOWING FOR VARYING BOUTS OF BAROCLINIC LIKE ACTIVITY.  
SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN WILL REMAIN ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE  
LOW...TUCKED WITHIN A BURGEONING WARM SECTOR. WITH EPISODIC MOISTURE  
TRANSPORT EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR AN ACTIVE WORK WEEK PERIOD WITH A LOW  
PREDICTABILITY REGARDING SPECIFICS.  
 
MONDAY...LONGWAVE RIDGE AXIS IS EXPECTED TO HOLD ACROSS THE AREA  
THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE DAY WHICH SUPPORTS ANOTHER DAY OF  
PREDOMINATELY QUIET WEATHER. FIRST THING WAS TO INCREMENTALLY  
INCREASE HIGH TEMPERATURES. A STRONG AVA SIGNAL REMAINS WEST OF  
THE CWA THROUGH 18Z...BEFORE A SHEARING DEFORMATION AXIS SLAMS  
INTO THE AREA BETWEEN 18-21Z. MAGNITUDE OF UVV FORCING WILL NOT BE  
THAT HIGH FROM THE SHEARING DEFORMATION ITSELF...HOWEVER...THE  
FEATURE SHOULD SERVE AS A FOCUS MECHANISM FOR A SECONDARY THETA E  
SURGE OR ACTIVE WARM FRONT. DIFFICULT THIS FAR OUT TO PIN DOWN  
TIMING AND TRAJECTORY OF INBOUND SHORTWAVE ENERGY (WHICH WILL  
EMERGE OUT OF OKLAHOMA CONVECTION TONIGHT). THERE IS ENOUGH MODEL  
GUIDANCE SUGGESTING THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY MAY INITIATE SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN BEFORE SETTING A  
COURSE FOR THE SAGINAW VALLEY BETWEEN 21-00Z. THE THETA E SURGE  
BEHIND THIS WARM FRONT SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANT...SURGING ABOVE 1.30  
INCHES BY MONDAY EVENING. TYPICAL SURFACE MOISTURE BIASES EXIST IN  
THE MODEL SOUNDINGS BUT STEEPNESS OF 700-500MB LAPSE RATES  
SUGGESTS FOR POTENTIAL OF MLCAPES OF 2000 J/KG. 0-6KM BULK SHEAR  
OF 30-40 KNOTS WILL SUPPORT MESOCYCLONE AND SUPERCELLULAR  
BEHAVIOR...GOOD FOR POTENTIAL OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE  
HAIL. LATEST SWODY2 EXPANDED THE SLIGHT RISK INTO MUCH OF  
SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN.  
 
EXIT REGION DYNAMICS...RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SECONDARY WARM FRONT AND  
MOISTURE SURGE LATE MONDAY...WILL LIFT NORTHWARD CAUSING A WAVE  
BREAK AND ENERGY TO SPILL OVER THE RIDGE AXIS ON TUESDAY. THIS  
DAMPENING IS IMPORTANT AS IT SHOULD ALLOW PRECIPITATION ACTIVITY  
TO SINK INTO THE RIDGE A LITTLE MORE AND CAUSE ACTIVITY TO FOCUS  
OVER THE AREA. TRIED TO OFFER SOME TIMING RESOLUTION...BUT THE  
WHOLE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY TIMEFRAME WILL REQUIRE A  
HIGH LIKELY POP. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT SEMICH WILL RESIDE IN THE  
WARM SECTOR WHICH REQUIRES A FORECAST OF LOW TO MIDDLE 80S.  
UNDERSTAND SOME HESITATION THERE...WITH OVERALL CLOUDS LIMITING  
INSOLATION. HOWEVER...GIVEN LATE MAY ANY BREAKS WILL CAUSE  
TEMPERATURES TO SOAR. THE POTENTIAL WILL CONTINUE FOR STRONG TO  
SEVERE STORMS ON TUESDAY...BUT GUIDANCE IS TOO MUDDIED ATTM TO  
OFFER MUCH INSIGHT.  
 
WEDNESDAY...LAST OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET ENERGY SHOULD LIFT OUT OF  
THE TROUGH AND CAUSE REMNANT MIDLEVEL LOW CIRCULATION TO BECOME  
ABSORBED IN WESTERLIES TO THE NORTH. THE SURFACE REFLECTION IS  
EXPECTED TO MEANDER OVER THE STATE IN TIME FOR THE AFTERNOON. WE  
WILL NEED TO MONITOR THIS OUTCOME AS IT COULD PROVIDE SOME SHEAR  
FOCUS TO AUGMENT THE ENVIRONMENT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER...AT THIS TIME THERMAL PROGS SUGGEST THAT  
INSTABILITY WILL LESS THAN BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  
 
THERE IS A STRONG SIGNAL THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY WEEKEND WILL BE ONE  
DOMINATED BY A STABLE CANADIAN ANTICYCLONE. WHAT HAS BEEN TYPICAL  
FOR THIS SPRING...QUIET BUT VERY COOL CONDITIONS FOR MEMORIAL DAY  
WEEKEND.  
 
MARINE...  
 
WEAK SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW OVER THE LAKES WILL PROVIDE FAVORABLE MARINE  
CONDITIONS THROUGH TONIGHT. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS WILL DRIFT TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES LAYING OUT A WARM FRONT  
ACROSS CENTRAL MI. THIS FRONT WILL STALL OVER THE AREA THROUGH  
MIDWEEK AS THE LOW TRACKS ALONG IT. WINDS SOUTH OF THE FRONT WILL  
REMAIN SOUTHERLY WHILE WINDS TO THE NORTH WILL BACK TO THE EAST AND  
INCREASE SLIGHTLY. THIS WILL LEAD TO HIGHER WAVES OVER NORTHERN LAKE  
HURON WHILE THE SOUTHERN BASIN...LAKE ST CLAIR AND LAKE ERIE KEEP  
WAVES GENERALLY UNDER 2 FEET. THIS LOW WILL BRING SCATTERED  
THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH  
ACROSS ALL WATERS BY THURSDAY MORNING...AS THE LOW AND TRAILING COLD  
FRONT PUSH OFF TO THE EAST.  
 
 
   
DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MI...NONE.  
LAKE HURON...NONE.  
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.  
MI WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
AVIATION.....JVC  
SHORT TERM...SF  
LONG TERM....CB  
MARINE.......SF  
 
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