715  
FXUS63 KAPX 161029  
AFDAPX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI  
629 AM EDT TUE APR 16 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ELEVATED FIRE DANGER IN PLACE THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
- RAIN, STRONG WINDS RETURN TONIGHT.  
 
- CONVECTIVE SHOWERS/EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS AND GUSTY WINDS  
CONTINUE WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
PATTERN SYNOPSIS:  
 
STRONG TROUGHING CONTINUES TO EJECT OVER THE GREAT PLAINS EARLY THIS  
MORNING AND WILL QUICKLY PROGRESS ACROSS THE MIDWEST INTO TONIGHT,  
PUSHING AMPLIFIED RIDGING OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND EAST OF THE  
REGION BY THE END OF THE PERIOD. FORCING ALOFT PROVIDED BY  
AFORMENTIONED TROUGHING WILL SUPPORT AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE CYCLONE  
THAT WILL BEGIN TO WORK ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
FORECAST DETAILS:  
 
ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY: SUNNY SKIES AND MILD TEMPERATURES ARE IN  
STORE FOR NORTHERN MICHIGAN TODAY, ESPECIALLY ACROSS AREAS AROUND  
AND SOUTH OF GRAND TRAVERSE BAY WHERE HIGHS LOOK TO CLIMB INTO THE  
MID TO UPPER 60S. EAST WINDS WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY STRONG TODAY  
INTO TONIGHT, GUSTING TO 20-30 MPH BY MID AFTERNOON/EVENING.  
EFFICIENT DAYTIME MIXING WILL LEAD TO MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY  
VALUES BETWEEN 20-25% FOR MOST OF INTERIOR NORTHERN MICHIGAN THIS  
AFTERNOON. WITH THESE CONDITIONS COMBINING WITH DRY FUELS FROM  
RECENT LACK OF RAINFALL, ELEVATED FIRE DANGER WILL BE IN PLACE FOR  
INTERIOR NORTHERN MICHIGAN -- PARTICULARLY FOR AREAS ALONG AND WEST  
OF I-75 -- THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
RAIN, STRONG WINDS RETURN TONIGHT: RAIN AND ASSOCIATED CLOUD COVER  
WILL BEGIN TO MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT AS  
THE AFOREMENTIONED SYSTEM WORKS CLOSER TO THE GREAT LAKES. BEST RAIN  
CHANCES FOR NORTHERN MICHIGAN WILL COME AFTER MIDNIGHT. WHILE NOT  
NECESSARILY EXPECTED, A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER CANNOT BE RULED OUT  
ENTIRELY OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO PICK UP OVERNIGHT,  
GUSTING AS HIGH AS 35-50 MPH INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. ISOLATED POWER  
OUTAGES MAY BE POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
PATTERN SYNOPSIS AND FORECAST:  
 
MIDLEVEL SPLIT FLOW PATTERN ACROSS NORTH AMERICA WITH WEAK SHORTWAVE  
RIDGING OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS AND CLOSED LOW PRESSURE  
WITH ASSOCIATED TROUGHING OVER THE ROCKIES. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE  
AND QUIET WEATHER OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION IS QUICKLY REPLACED BY  
A WEAK CYCLONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFORMENTIONED CLOSED LOW OVER THE  
ROCKIES AT THE START OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST MAINLY INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING  
AS THE TOUGHING PATTERN BEGINS TO WEAKEN AND PROGRESS NORTHWARD,  
EVENTUALLY DRYING THINGS OUT ACROSS THE CWA. A SECONDARY MIDLEVEL  
TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER THE NORTHERN PACIFIC GROWS AND SETTLES OVER  
MANITOBA, LEAVING THE GREAT LAKES REGION IN TROUGHING FOR THE  
REST OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD. WEATHER REMAINS UNIMPACTFUL THIS  
WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, BUT LINGERING BITS OF LOW LEVEL  
MOISTURE COULD BRING SHOWERS FROM TIME TO TIME ACCOMPANIED BY  
TEMPERATURES COOLER THAN NORMAL FOR LATE APRIL.  
 
PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERNS/KEY MESSAGES:  
 
CONVECTIVE SHOWERS/EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS  
EXPECTED THIS WEDNESDAY: MAIN FOCUS FOR THE LONG TERM FORECAST  
IS THE FIRST HALF AS SURFACE LOW PRESSURE PUSHES ITS WAY THROUGH  
THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY, WHILE WEAKENING. THE WARM SECTOR IS  
SET TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE CWA, KEEPING MOST RAINFALL DURING THE  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OCCLUDED FRONT.  
QPF WILL REMAIN PRETTY UNEVEN DUE TO THE CONVECTIVE NATURE OF  
SHOWERS. LATEST CONVECTIVE GUIDANCE KEEPS A GENERAL QUARTER TO  
ONE INCH FOR MOST AREAS BY 12Z THURSDAY AS THE CORE OF THE LOW  
IS DEPICTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE STRAIGHTS. WIND GUSTS ALSO  
REMAIN A CONCERN THIS WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF THE LOW PASSAGE WITH  
VEERING WINDS IN THE TEENS GUSTING TO GALE FORCE FOR AREAS NEAR  
THE STRAITS.  
 
CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION DECREASE AS WE HEAD TOWARDS FRIDAY AND WEAK  
MIDLEVEL TROUGHING PATTERN TAKES OVER THE REGION. LINGERING SHOWERS  
REMAIN POSSIBLE, BUT RELATIVELY UNIMPACTFUL WEATHER IS EXPECTED  
AT THIS TIME. DRIER CONDITIONS FAVORED LATER THIS WEEKEND  
ACCOMPANIED BY COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES, BUT TOO EARLY TO  
TELL IF FAVORABLE WILDFIRE CHANCES FOR THE END OF APRIL ACROSS  
THE CWA.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHERN MICHIGAN TAF SITES TODAY  
INTO THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE OUT OF THE EAST  
TODAY, BECOMING AROUND 10 KTS WITH GUSTS NEAR 20 KTS DURING THE  
AFTERNOON. STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO COME TOWARDS THE END OF  
THE ISSUANCE PERIOD WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15-20 KTS WITH GUSTS TO  
25-40 KTS. WITH STRONG WINDS JUST OFF THE SURFACE, LLWS WILL BE  
POSSIBLE AT TAF SITES LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
OTHERWISE, RAIN AND ASSOCIATED CLOUD COVER WILL MOVE IN FROM  
SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. MVFR CIGS ARE  
ANTICIPATED ACROSS ALL TAF SITES BY THE END OF THE ISSUANCE  
PERIOD.  
 

 
   
APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MI...WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EDT WEDNESDAY FOR  
MIZ016-017-020>022-025>028-031>033-097>099.  
WIND ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 5 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR MIZ086>088-  
095-096.  
MARINE...GALE WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR  
LHZ345>347.  
GALE WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 11 AM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR LHZ348-349.  
GALE WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR  
LMZ341-342.  
GALE WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM EDT WEDNESDAY  
FOR LMZ323-344>346.  
GALE WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR LSZ321-322.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...DJC  
LONG TERM...SJC  
AVIATION...DJC  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab MI Page Main Text Page