252  
FXUS63 KDTX 191803  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
103 PM EST SUN JAN 19 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
 
- ARCTIC AIR GAINS GROUND ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES WITH NEARLY STEADY  
TEMPERATURES IN THE TEENS TODAY AND SINGLE DIGIT LOWS TONIGHT.  
 
- THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE WINTER THUS FAR THEN ARRIVE MONDAY  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AIR TEMPERATURE STRUGGLES TO REMAIN ABOVE ZERO  
DURING THE DAY AND EASILY REACHES BELOW ZERO LOWS AT NIGHT.  
 
- HAZARDOUS WIND CHILL OF -15 TO -25 F IS ALSO EXPECTED LATE AT  
NIGHT AND EARLY IN THE MORNING WITH LITTLE RELIEF FOR THE  
AFTERNOON.  
 
- A PERIOD OF GREATER LAKE EFFECT SNOW ORGANIZATION IS POSSIBLE  
LATER MONDAY INTO EARLY TUESDAY.  
 
- A MODEST WARMING TREND BEGINS THURSDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
LOW VFR TO OCCASIONAL MVFR CIGS PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING AS MOISTURE STREAMS OFF OF LAKE MICHIGAN INTO THE AIRSPACE.  
COMBINATION OF HIGH CLOUD AND LAKE CLOUD HAS PROVIDED JUST ENOUGH  
MOISTURE TO SQUEEZE OUT SOME FLURRIES/LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WHICH ARE  
ONGOING FROM PTK TO DTW AT ISSUANCE. OCCASIONAL VSBY DROPS TO IFR  
HAVE BEEN OBSERVED. INBOUND COLD ARCTIC AIRMASS KEEPS LAKE MICHIGAN  
ACTIVE TONIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE BRINGS ANOTHER PLUME OF LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS OVERHEAD BETWEEN 21Z AND 03Z TONIGHT. BY MONDAY  
MORNING, EVEN COLDER TEMPERATURES AND BACKING OF WINDS FROM CURRENT  
NW DIRECTION TO W WILL RESULT IN DIFFUSE BANDS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW  
GENERALLY BETWEEN DTW AND FNT FOR MOST OF THE DAY MONDAY. A DUSTING  
OF NEW ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE BY THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD  
MONDAY. THE DRY NATURE OF THE SNOW WILL BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BLOWING  
AROUND AS WIND GUSTS INCREASE TO 20-25 KNOTS, ALTHOUGH WITH LIMITED  
ACCUMULATION POTENTIAL DO NOT EXPECT MUCH IF ANY RESTRICTION TO  
VSBYS FROM BLSN.  
 
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...  
 
* MODERATE FOR CEILING AOB 5000 FEET THROUGH EVENING, LOW TONIGHT,  
MODERATE AGAIN ON MONDAY.  
 
* P-TYPE WILL BE ALL SNOW FOR THE TAF PERIOD.  
 
 
   
PREV DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 357 AM EST SUN JAN 19 2025  
 
DISCUSSION...  
 
EARLY MORNING OBSERVATIONS AND MODEL ANALYSIS FIELDS LAY OUT THE  
LARGE SCALE SCENARIO THAT BRINGS ARCTIC AIR ON SCHEDULE INTO THE  
GREAT LAKES THROUGH THE MID WEEK PERIOD. THE FULL LATITUDE 500 MB  
TROUGH COVERING ALL OF NORTH AMERICA EAST OF THE ROCKIES DRIVES DEEP  
NW FLOW INTO THE GREAT LAKES HELPING THE INTRUSION OF ARCTIC AIR  
GAIN TRACTION THROUGHOUT TODAY. THIS IS REFLECTED IN TEMPERATURE  
GUIDANCE THAT CALLS FOR READINGS TO HOLD IN THE TEENS THIS AFTERNOON  
AFTER JUST A FEW DEGREES OF RECOVERY FROM MORNING LOWS. THE TREND IS  
SOLIDLY DOWN FROM THERE GIVEN OBSERVATIONS THIS MORNING OF SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN THE TEENS BELOW ZERO ACROSS THE UPPER  
MIDWEST. SOME INITIAL BUFFERING BY THE GREAT LAKES AGGREGATE IS  
EVIDENT WHILE THE LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD STILL HAS A NW COMPONENT AND  
THIS HOLDS AIR TEMPERATURE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO TONIGHT  
BUT DOES LITTLE TO HELP READINGS CLIMB OUT OF THE SINGLE DIGITS  
MONDAY, ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE OHIO BORDER WHERE A SW WIND COMPONENT  
IS FIRST TO DEVELOP AND HELP ARCTIC AIR WRAP AROUND THE SOUTH END OF  
LAKE MICHIGAN. ADDITIONAL FORECAST REFINEMENTS TO SURFACE WIND SPEED  
AND DIRECTION CONTINUE IN THIS FORECAST CYCLE WITH RESPECT TO WIND  
CHILL. MONDAY MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES NEAR ZERO TOWARD THE OHIO  
BORDER HAVE WIND CHILL TOUCHING -15 F BRIEFLY WITH THE DIURNAL  
UPTICK IN WIND SPEED BEFORE RECOVERING TOWARD SINGLE DIGITS BELOW  
ZERO. CONCERNS INCREASE FOR ADVISORY LEVEL WIND CHILL MONDAY NIGHT  
AS AIR TEMPERATURE DROPS TO LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO AND  
WIND CHILL BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD WITH LONGER DURATION IN THE -15  
TO -20 F RANGE DURING THE NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
THE CLOUD PATTERN AND ANY ASSOCIATED LAKE ENHANCED OR PURE LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES ARE ADDITIONAL FACTORS TO ASSESS  
ON TEMPERATURE IMPACTS THROUGHOUT THIS ARCTIC AIR OUTBREAK,  
ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. CONSIDERATION TODAY ARISES WITH THE MID LEVEL  
WAVE TRACKING ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY WITH A SUBSTANTIAL MID AND HIGH  
CLOUD PATTERN COVERING LOWER MI AND A COMPONENT OF VIRGA ON RADAR.  
PATCHES OF STRATOCU DO SUPPORT FLURRIES ACROSS LOWER MI WHILE SYSTEM  
SNOW IS WELL SOUTH OF THE OHIO BORDER, AND AS NNW LOW LEVEL WIND  
HOLDS LAKE MICHIGAN LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS CLOSER TO THE LAKE.  
PASSAGE OF THE MID LEVEL WAVE STRIPS OUT SYSTEM CLOUDS TONIGHT AS  
LOW LEVEL WIND BACKS MORE WESTERLY TO BRING LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS AND  
FLURRIES FARTHER EAST. BROKEN COVERAGE IS EXPECTED MAINLY SOUTH OF  
THE I-69 CORRIDOR TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING LEAVING MORE OPEN SKY  
TOWARD THE TRI CITIES AND NORTHERN THUMB FOR LOW TEMPERATURES AT THE  
COLDER END OF THE RANGE. LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS THEN  
HAVE POTENTIAL TO GAIN ORGANIZATION DURING MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT  
AS THE NEXT NW FLOW MID LEVEL WAVE REINFORCES THE LONG WAVE TROUGH  
AND LAKE EFFECT SEEDING OVER THE GREAT LAKES. THE SURFACE REFLECTION  
OF THE SHORT WAVE NICELY AUGMENTS THE LEE SIDE TROUGH OFF THE SOUTH  
END OF LAKE MICHIGAN WHICH TYPICALLY SUPPORTS A DOMINANT LAKE EFFECT  
SNOW BAND, OR AT LEAST A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF MULTIPLE BANDS THAT  
EXTEND WELL INTO SE MI. THIS TIME AROUND ARCTIC AIR PRODUCES EXTREME  
LAKE INSTABILITY AND CONVECTIVE DEPTH IS AROUND 7.7 KFT, BUT THE  
SURFACE BASED DGZ STILL RAISES ENOUGH CONCERN ABOUT DISRUPTIVE CLOUD  
MICROPHYSICS FOR A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH AT THIS TIME RANGE. FOR  
NOW, A SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS COVERAGE EXPECTATION FITS BEST WHICH  
MAY EVENTUALLY TREND TO SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATION CENTERED ON MONDAY  
NIGHT.  
 
PASSAGE OF THE MONDAY NIGHT MID LEVEL WAVE BRINGS SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE INTO THE OHIO VALLEY AND THE CORE OF ARCTIC AIR INTO THE  
GREAT LAKES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. GUIDANCE LOW TEMPERATURES  
ARE ADVERTISED IN THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY  
ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER ROUND OF WIND CHILL AROUND -15 F UNTIL SOUTH  
WIND BEGINS A COLD AIR DISPLACEMENT DURING THE DAY. WARMER AIR  
INBOUND AHEAD OF THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS STILL BELOW NORMAL  
BUT RETURNS TO THE 20S DURING THE DAY AND TEENS AT NIGHT INTO NEXT  
WEEKEND.  
 
MARINE...  
 
COLD NORTHWEST FLOW CONTINUES TO FILTER AN ARCTIC MASS INTO THE  
REGION TODAY WITH WIND SPEEDS ON THE ORDER OF 10 TO 15 KNOTS. LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OVER LAKE HURON  
THIS AFTERNOON AS A CORRIDOR OF LOCALIZED CONVERGENCE DEVELOPS IN  
RESPONSE TO STRENGTHENING LAKE AGGREGATE TROUGHING. AS THIS SNOW  
BAND SHIFTS SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE LAKE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, WIND  
WILL VEER TO THE NORTH/NORTHEAST BEHIND IT. FLOW THEN SHIFTS TO THE  
WEST AND WEST-SOUTHWEST ON MONDAY AND STRENGTHENS TO THE 20 TO 25  
KNOT RANGE AS EVEN COLDER AIR WORKS IN. THIS UPTICK IN WIND  
MAGNITUDE BRINGS FREEZING SPRAY ACROSS PARTS OF LAKE HURON MONDAY  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS THE COLDEST AIR HOLDS IN PLACE. MILDER AIR THEN  
WORKS BACK INTO THE AREA THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AMIDST MODERATE  
SOUTHWEST FLOW.  
 
 
   
DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MI...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY  
FOR MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083.  
 
LAKE HURON...NONE.  
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.  
MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
AVIATION.....MV  
DISCUSSION...BT  
MARINE.......TF  
 
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