739  
FXUS63 KDTX 222059  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
359 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
 
- POCKETS OF FLURRIES POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON NEAR  
THE THUMB.  
 
- TEMPERATURES WARM AS HEADING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH SOME  
REGULARITY FOR HIGHS AT/ABOVE 40 DEGREES THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK,  
ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-69.  
 
- MAINLY DRY WEATHER FOR THE REST OF THIS WEEKEND WITH BROADER  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
AFTERNOON GOES IMAGERY SHOWS A MIX OF MID- AND UPPER-LEVEL CLOUDS  
TRIGGERED BY A LOW AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH TRACKING SOUTHEAST  
OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. 22.12Z KDTX RAOB REVEALED AN  
APPROXIMATELY 10 KFT DEEP LAYER OF SUBSATURATED AIR, ROUGHLY BETWEEN  
1.2 AND 12.2 KFT AGL. THIS HELPS LIMIT PRECIPITATION PRODUCTION TO  
MAINLY SUBLIMATING SNOW, MORESO ACROSS THE THUMB. IN THE ABSENCE OF  
MEANINGFUL MOISTURE ADVECTION, CURRENT KDTX/CASET RADAR TRENDS STILL  
SHOW APPRECIABLE REFLECTIVITY RETURNS (+10 DBZ) ALOFT WHICH MIGHT  
VERIFY AS SNOWFALL (TRACE) DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS FOR HURON AND  
SANILAC COUNTIES. INCLUDED FLURRY WORDING IN THE LATEST FORECAST  
UPDATE. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS SHOULD DECREASE OFF THEIR DIURNAL  
PEAKS (25-30 MPH) LATE THIS EVENING AS 35-40 KNOT LLJ WINDS EXIT AND  
THE MIXED-LAYER EVENTUALLY COLLAPSES.  
 
GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHTS REVERSE COURSE, AND BEGIN TO RISE OVERNIGHT,  
BEHIND THE DEPARTING WAVE. RESIDENCE TIME OF THE SHORT WAVELENGTH  
RIDGE ALOFT WILL BE BRIEF, BUT SHOULD WORK TO REDUCE CLOUD  
FRACTIONS, ALBEIT TEMPORARILY. HAVING SOME SEMBLANCE OF A  
RADIATIONAL COOLING WINDOW LENDS ADDITIONAL CONFIDENCE IN ONE FINAL  
NIGHT OF LOWS IN THE UPPER TEENS TO LOWER 20S THIS MONTH. A WARMING  
TREND COMMENCES SUNDAY AND LIKELY CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 
MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUNDAY AS THE CENTRAL ONTARIO SURFACE  
LOW EVENTUALLY TRACKS INTO WESTERN QUEBEC WHILE HIGH PRESSURE  
INFLUENCE EXTENDING NORTH FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WORKS TO  
MAINTAIN COLUMN STABILITY, LOCALLY. A QUICK MOVING TROUGH EMBEDDED  
WITHIN THE ANTICYCLONIC SHEAR SIDE OF A SYNOPTIC RIDGE ENCOMPASSING  
WESTERN CONUS AFFORDS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME LOW-CONFIDENCE  
FLURRIES. ENSEMBLE PERSPECTIVES SUGGEST DIFFICULTY PRODUCING  
MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING, OUTSIDE OF  
MAYBE SOME LIGHT SNOW FOR THE THUMB REGION. DID ADD MENTION OF  
FLURRIES. A DEGREE OR TWO WARMER FOR HIGHS SUNDAY (LOW TO MID 30S),  
BUT THE BIGGER DIFFERENCE COMES SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AS A WARM  
FRONT STARTS TO LIFT IN, KEEPING OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 20S.  
 
850 MB TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE LOW-MID SINGLE DIGITS (CELSIUS)  
WHICH TRANSLATES TO HIGHS NEAR 40F TO THE LOWER 40S. NOT MUCH TO  
NOTE IN TERMS OF THETAE ADVECTION FOR LOWER MICHIGAN AS ANOTHER  
SURFACE LOW TRACKS EAST ACROSS ONTARIO, KEEPING MOST PRECIPITATION  
WELL TO THE NORTH. CAN'T RULE OUT SOME SPRINKLES OR MELTING  
SNOWFLAKES OVER THE THUMB. ANOTHER WAVE EJECTS INTO THE OHIO VALLEY  
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY, BUT TIMING DIFFERENCES ARE STILL EVIDENT  
IN THE DETERMINISTIC DATA. A PLUME OF MOISTURE PRECEDING THIS WAVE  
APPEARS SUFFICIENT FOR MORE FAVORABLE SATURATION PROFILES PER PWATS  
IN EXCESS OF 0.50 INCHES. EXPECT SOME MEASURABLE RAINFALL WITH THIS.  
REGULARITY FOR HIGHS AT/ABOVE 40 DEGREES NOTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
WEEK, ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-69.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
MODERATE SOUTHWEST WINDS PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING AS A LOW-LEVEL  
JET CONTINUES TO SLIDES ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES. GUSTS  
EXPECTED TO HOLD AT OR BELOW 30KTS AS WARMER ACCOMPANYING AIR  
INCREASES STABILITY OVER THE COLD LAKE WATERS. JET PUSHES EAST OF  
THE REGION OVERNIGHT RESULTING IN A GRADUAL BUT STEADY RELAXATION OF  
WINDS TO BELOW 15KTS BY SUNDAY MORNING. A MORE DIFFUSE GRADIENT,  
THANKS TO THE DEPARTURE OF JAMES BAY LOW PRESSURE, AND CONTINUING  
WARM AIR ADVECTION SHOULD KEEP WINDS ON THE LIGHTER SIDE DAYTIME  
SUNDAY- AT OR BELOW 15KTS. SOUTHWEST WINDS THEN INCREASE LATE SUNDAY  
NIGHT INTO MONDAY AHEAD OF A STRONG LOW TRACING OVER FAR NORTHERN  
ONTARIO. THIS SYSTEM STRENGTHENS THE MAGNITUDE OF WARM AIR ADVECTED  
INTO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES MAINTAINING, IF NOT INCREASING,  
OVERLAKE THERMAL STABILITY. AS SUCH, FORECAST CURRENTLY IS FOR GUSTS  
TO REMAIN GENERALLY UNDER 30KTS DESPITE THE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT.  
THIS SYSTEM EVENTUALLY DRAGS A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE REGION LATE  
MONDAY-EARLY TUESDAY THOUGH WITH LOW PRESSURE RAPIDLY MOVING INTO  
NORTHERN QUEBEC, SW TURNING NW WINDS WEAKEN WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 1254 PM EST SAT FEB 22 2025  
 
AVIATION...  
 
SOUTHWEST FLOW HAVE LEFT CONDITIONS RELATIVELY CLEAR ACROSS THE  
METRO TERMINALS UP TOWARDS KPTK, WITH A TROUGH BRINGING EXTENSIVE  
CLOUD COVERAGE FOR LOCATIONS NORTH. CLOUD COVERAGE TO EXPAND SOUTH  
THROUGH THE DAY, WHILE GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS CONTINUE UNTIL AROUND  
OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL, WITH A LOW  
POSSIBILITY FOR CEILINGS TO BRIEFLY DROP TOWARDS 5KFT THIS EVENING.  
 
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...  
 
* NONE.  
 

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

 
 

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