140  
FXUS63 KDTX 192101 CCA  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
401 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 IGHT  
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.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
CONTINENTAL ARCTIC AIR MASS, 12Z 850MB RAOB TEMPERATURES OF -21.9C  
AND -25.9C AT KGRB AND KAPX RESPECTIVELY, IS NOW INFILTRATING INTO  
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT IS BISECTING THE  
CWA AROUND THE M 59 CORRIDOR AT MIDDAY WITH A SURFACE DEWPOINT  
DIFFERENCE OF SOME 10 DEGREE F ACROSS THE FRONT. BEEN OBSERVING VERY  
LIGHT SNOW ACTIVITY IN A CONVERGENCE AXIS AHEAD OF THE FRONT THAT IS  
STEADILY PUSHING TO THE SOUTHEAST. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAYLIGHT  
HOURS THIS AFTERNOON, FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUPPORT A RESPECTABLE  
AMOUNT OF SUPERSATURATION WITH RESPECT TO ICE THROUGH THE DENDRITIC  
GROWTH ZONE FROM THE SURFACE THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 6.0 FT AGL.  
SYNOPTICALLY, A NICE LITTLE SIGNAL FOR CONTINUED LIGHT SNOW SHOWER  
ACTIVITY WITH ABSOLUTE VORTICITY LOBE PROVIDING FOR SOME WEAK  
MIDLEVEL ISENTROPIC LIFT AND ICE CRYSTAL SEEDING. MAJOR LIMITATIONS  
ON ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON ARE THE VERY LOW ABSOLUTE MOISTURE OF  
1000-850MB SPECIFIC HUMIDITIES OF 1-1.5 G/KG AND VIRTUALLY NO NBM  
FORECASTED LIQUID EQUIVALENT.  
 
COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL OCCUR ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING  
AND TONIGHT WITH 850MB TEMPERATURES DROPPING DOWN TO -23C TO -24C.  
STEEPENING OF NEAR SURFACE LAPSE RATES WILL RESULT IN A DECENT MIXED  
ENVIRONMENT, GOOD FOR A MODEST SUSTAINED WEST WIND MONDAY MORNING.  
FORECASTED WIND CHILLS OF -12C TO -18C ARE EXPECTED AROUND DAYBREAK  
MONDAY WITH THE COLDEST CONDITIONS NEAR THE OHIO VALLEY. PER  
COORDINATION WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES AND THE VARIANCE IN  
FORECASTING LOCAL WINDSPEEDS AND TEMPERATURES, THE DECISION WAS MADE  
TO BEGIN THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT.  
 
THE MAIN COMPOSITE TROUGH AXIS WILL APPROACH THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES  
DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY WITH THE LEAD EDGE TO GREATER ABSOLUTE  
VORTICITY SPREADING ACROSS THE LOWER PENINSULA. MODELS HAVE BEEN  
CONSISTENT IN THE DIFFERENTIAL CYCLONIC VORTICITY BREAKING OFF SOME  
LAKE SCALE CONVERGENCE/MOISTURE/LAKE EFFECT FROM LAKE MICHIGAN AND  
SENDING IT EASTWARD. OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE WIND CONVERGENCE ALONG  
THE I 96 AND M 59 CORRIDORS DID INCREASE POPS INTO THE LIKELY  
CATEGORY MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MAJOR LIMITATIONS ON  
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS IS EXPECTED THIS FAR REMOVED FROM LAKE  
MICHIGAN, HOWEVER, AS VERY UNFAVORABLE MICROPHYSICS WILL EXIST GIVEN  
THE COLD SOUNDING AND VERY LEAN ABSOLUTE MOISTURE. FOR MANY  
LOCATIONS, NOT MUCH OF A DUSTING IS POSSIBLE BUT LONGER DURATION  
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN AN INCH MAY BE POSSIBLE IN ANY  
PERSISTENT BANDING.  
 
COLDEST AIR MASS BUILDS INTO THE REGION FOR TUESDAY AND EARLY  
WEDNESDAY. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BOTTOM OUT IN THE SINGLE DIGITS  
BELOW ZERO FOR BOTH MORNINGS, WHICH DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION IS  
SOME 15 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. RECORD TEMPERATURES ARE NOT  
EXPECTED TO BE CHALLENGED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. THE COLD WEATHER  
ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON WEDNESDAY.  
 
DESPITE PERSISTENT TROUGHING OVER THE GREAT LAKES, RISING  
GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHTS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO MODERATE DURING THE  
END OF THE WEEK AND NEXT WEEKEND. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED  
TO BE MAINLY IN THE 20S. NO MAJOR PRECIPITATION SYSTEMS ARE  
ANTICIPATED FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
NORTHWEST FLOW AROUND 10 TO 15 KNOTS DOMINATES MOST OF THE REGION  
THIS AFTERNOON WITH FLOW VEERING TO NORTHERLY ACROSS PARTS OF  
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL LAKE HURON BEHIND A SURFACE TROUGH SINKING  
SOUTHWARD. A LOCALIZED SNOW BAND WILL ACCOMPANY THIS TROUGH THROUGH  
TONIGHT. A FRESH SURGE OF COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL CAUSE WINDS TO SHIFT  
TO WESTERLY ON MONDAY, WITH WIND SPEEDS INCREASING TO THE 15 TO 25  
KNOT RANGE. ICE COVERAGE IN THE LATEST ANALYSIS IS SPARSE ACROSS  
PARTS OF THE LAKE HURON NEARSHORE, SO OPTED TO ISSUE A SMALL CRAFT  
ADVISORY FOR 4+ FOOT WAVES FROM OUTER SAGINAW BAY TO HARBOR BEACH  
TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. FREEZING SPRAY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN  
INTENSITY ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LAKE HURON THROUGH THE DAY  
TOMORROW, BECOMING HEAVY BY THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A HEAVY  
FREEZING SPRAY WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS. FREEZING  
SPRAY AND LAKE EFFECT SNOW CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS THE COLDEST  
AIR HOLDS IN PLACE. MILDER AIR THEN WORKS BACK INTO THE AREA  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AMIDST MODERATE SOUTHWEST FLOW.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 103 PM EST SUN JAN 19 2025  
 
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.  
 

 
   
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...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FROM 4 PM MONDAY TO 10 AM EST TUESDAY  
FOR LHZ363-421-441-462>464.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 AM MONDAY TO 4 PM EST TUESDAY FOR  
LHZ421-441.  
 
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.  
MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...CB  
MARINE.......TF  
AVIATION.....MV  
 
YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE  
AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT.  
 
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