534  
FXUS63 KDTX 200956  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
556 AM EDT SUN APR 20 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- DRY WITH COOLER CONDITIONS TODAY.  
 
- SHOWERS BECOME LIKELY TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY. A SLIGHT CHANCE  
OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING THIS TIME.  
 
- TURNING WINDY MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH SOUTHWEST GUSTS IN  
EXCESS OF 35 MPH.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE TODAY MAINTAINS VFR SKIES WITH CLOUD  
COVER LARGELY CONFINED TO HIGH CIRRUS. MID-CLOUD BETWEEN 7-10KFT  
BUILDS IN LATE AFTERNOON-EVENING AS THE HIGH DEPARTS IN RESPONSE TO  
LOW PRESSURE LIFTING TOWARDS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. A LIGHT SHOWER  
OR TWO POSSIBLE FROM THESE CLOUDS AS AN ELEVATED WARM FRONT LIFTS IN  
HOWEVER OVERALL CHANCES AND POTENTIAL COVERAGE ARE TOO LOW TO  
HIGHLIGHT IN CURRENT FORECAST. BETTER SHOWER CHANCES ARRIVE MONDAY  
MORNING AS THE SURFACE WARM FRONT ARRIVES. A FEW EMBEDDED  
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITHIN THIS ACTIVITY HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IS  
NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO MENTION IN TAF. CEILINGS LOWER THROUGH THE  
MORNING AS MOISTURE INCREASES WITH BREEZIER CONDITIONS DEVELOPING  
(GUSTS INCREASING TOWARDS 30KTS BY LATE MORNING) AS THE LOW REACHES  
WESTERN LAKE MICHIGAN.  
   
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES
 
 
* LOW FOR CEILING AT OR BELOW 5000 FEET THROUGH THIS EVENING/EARLY  
TONIGHT, INCREASING TO HIGH BY MONDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 349 AM EDT SUN APR 20 2025  
 
DISCUSSION...  
 
DEEP LAYER STABILITY HELD WITHIN EXISTING LOW-MID LEVEL RIDGING  
OFFERS BENIGN WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY. LIMITED MOISTURE QUALITY  
THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN LENDS TO A HIGH DEGREE OF INSOLATION POTENTIAL  
OVERALL, BUT WITH THE LIKELIHOOD FOR SOME INCREASE IN HIGH BASED  
CLOUD WITH TIME FROM SOUTH TO NORTH AS MID LEVEL FLOW EMERGES FROM  
THE SOUTHWEST. VEERING LOW LEVEL FLOW FROM NORTHEAST TO EAST  
MAINTAINS A NEUTRAL PATTERN FOR THERMAL ADVECTION, SO ANY AIRMASS  
MODIFICATION GENERALLY RELIANT ON THE UNDERLYING INCREASE IN MEAN  
THICKNESS READINGS AS UPPER HEIGHTS BUILD COMBINED WITH AT LEAST  
PARTIAL SUNSHINE. THIS LANDS AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES ON THE  
COOLER SIDE OF AVERAGE, GENERALLY LOW TO MID 50S.  
 
DYNAMIC MID LEVEL WAVE SET TO EJECT FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE  
UPPER MIDWEST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. INHERENT STRENGTHENING OF  
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALONG THE EAST FLANK OF THE IMPINGING HEIGHT FALLS  
WILL ESTABLISH A CORRIDOR OF GREATER MOISTURE TRANSPORT WITHIN A  
BLOSSOMING REGION OF WARM AIR ADVECTION. INITIAL PERIOD OF MID LEVEL  
ISENTROPIC ASCENT ARRIVES LOCALLY EARLY TONIGHT, AFFORDING SOME  
POCKETS OF HIGH BASED LIGHT SHOWER PRODUCTION BUT WITH DRY EASTERLY  
LOW LEVEL FLOW MITIGATING A GREATER RESPONSE. MAIN WINDOW FOR  
CONVECTIVE SHOWER PRODUCTION CENTERED 09Z-15Z MONDAY MORNING AS A  
MORE FOCUSED REGION OF FORCED ASCENT ALONG THE WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY  
ANCHORS A PEAK IN MOISTURE QUALITY AND CORRESPONDING ELEVATED  
INSTABILITY. COLLECTIVE OF ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE MAINTAINS A HIGH  
PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION THIS PERIOD, WITH INSTABILITY WORTHY OF  
AN ISOLATED T-STORM MENTION.  
 
COLD/OCCLUDING FRONT THEN SWEEPS THROUGH 14Z-18Z MONDAY. WARM SECTOR  
OF THIS SYSTEM WILL ATTEMPT TO MAKE BRIEF INROADS, AT LEAST ACROSS  
THE SOUTH, WITH THE PACE OF THE BOUNDARY GOVERNING DURATION AND  
MAGNITUDE OF POSSIBLE LOW LEVEL WARMING/MOISTENING AND CORRESPONDING  
LOW LEVEL DESTABILIZATION DURING THIS TIME. MODEST DESTABILIZATION  
PLAUSIBLE (MLCAPE LESS THAN 1000 J/KG) AS TEMPERATURES PEAK UPPER  
60S/NEAR 70F AND DEWPOINTS APPROACH 60 DEGREES ACROSS EASTERN  
SECTIONS OF THE AREA. THIS MAINTAINS AT LEAST A LOW LIKELIHOOD FOR A  
SECONDARY RESPONSE DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS, PARTICULARLY  
WITH EASTWARD EXTENT, BEFORE THE OPPORTUNITY SHIFTS INTO CANADA.  
ENSUING LATE DAY COLD AIR ADVECTION CAPITALIZES ON A FIRM SOUTHWEST  
GRADIENT AND IMPROVING MIXING DEPTH TO GENERATE WINDY CONDITIONS MID  
AFTERNOON IN THE EVENING HOURS. SOLID GUST POTENTIAL WITHIN THE 35  
TO 45 MPH RANGE DURING THIS TIME.  
 
LOWER AMPLITUDE MID LEVEL FLOW WILL DOMINATE THE MID WEEK PERIOD.  
HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL ENSURES DRY CONDITIONS WITH SEASONABLE  
TEMPERATURES TUESDAY. POTENTIALLY MORE UNSETTLED TUESDAY NIGHT AND  
WEDNESDAY AS TRANSIENT SHORTWAVE ENERGY INVOKES POCKETS OF  
MEANINGFUL ASCENT AT TIMES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. FORECAST WILL  
CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT LOWER END RAIN CHANCES AT THIS STAGE. A  
GENERAL MODERATING THERMAL PROFILE WITH TIME WILL TRANSLATE INTO  
ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.  
 
MARINE...  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS AS IT MIGRATES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES  
TODAY. WINDS RESPOND TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE HIGH BY VEERING FROM  
NORTHWEST TO EASTERLY, BUT REMAIN LIGHT UNDER THE DIFFUSE GRADIENT.  
UPSTREAM, LOW PRESSURE LIFTS TOWARD THE UPPER MIDWEST TONIGHT AND TO  
THE STRAITS ON MONDAY. NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION TO SEE A STRAY SHOWER  
THIS EVENING AS THE ELEVATED WARM FRONT LIFTS THROUGH, BUT THE  
BROADER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS BEGINS EARLY  
MONDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BE IN RESPONSE TO STRONG MOISTURE  
TRANSPORT OCCURRING AHEAD OF THE FRONT, DRIVEN BY A ~60 KNOT LOW  
LEVEL JET. STABLE CONDITIONS KEEP THE STRONGEST WINDS ELEVATED,  
ALTHOUGH AN UPTICK IN SUSTAINED EASTERLY FLOW TO 20 KNOTS AND GUSTS  
TO 30 KNOTS WILL LIKELY NECESSITATE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES BEGINNING  
MONDAY MORNING. THE OCCLUDED FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM LIFTS  
THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON, INITIATING COLD ADVECTION AND DEEPER  
BOUNDARY LAYER MIXING. GUSTS STILL LOOK TO STAY BELOW GALE FORCE ON  
A WIDESPREAD BASIS, ALTHOUGH LOCAL ENHANCEMENTS MAY OCCUR OVER  
SAGINAW BAY DUE TO WARMER WATER TEMPERATURES AND FETCH. ONCE THIS  
SYSTEM DEPARTS, BENIGN CONDITIONS RETURN FOR TUESDAY.  
 

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

 
 

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