224  
FXUS63 KDTX 111702  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
1202 PM EST SUN JAN 11 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- DRIER WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON AS NORTHWEST  
WINDS GUST 30 TO 35 MPH.  
 
- WARMING TREND EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH TEMPERATURES PEAKING IN THE  
40S TUESDAY. A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
- NEXT CHANCE OF SNOW WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS ARCTIC AIR  
MOVES INTO THE REGION. MUCH COLDER CONDITIONS PERSIST THROUGH THE  
END OF THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
VERY LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS HAVE EXITED AS THE COLD FRONT HAS PASSED,  
WITH NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING 25-30 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON (BELOW THE  
EARLIER PEAKS). DIFFICULT LOW CLOUD (MVFR) FORECAST THE REST OF THE  
DAY INTO EVENING HOURS, AS CONFLICTING SIGNALS WHETHER THE LOW CLOUDS  
WILL DISSIPATE OR HOLD ON. ULTIMATELY, WITH LOW CLOUDS STILL NOTED  
OVER WISCONSIN AND WINDS COMING BACK AROUND TO THE WEST THIS EVENING,  
WILL ERR ON THE MORE PESSIMISTIC SIDE AND KEEP THE LOW CLOUDS IN  
THROUGH THE EVENING, BUT PERIODS OF SCT ARE POSSIBLE. LOW LEVEL WINDS  
THEN BACK AROUND TO THE SOUTHWEST TONIGHT, WHICH INCREASE THE  
CHANCES FOR LOW CLOUDS TO DISSIPATE OVER THE SOUTHERN TAFS, BUT  
CONFIDENCE IS STILL SHAKY. WILL KEEP THE LOW CLOUDS IN FOR MBS AND  
FNT. OTHERWISE, MID CLOUDS (7-12 KFT) TO WORK THROUGH SOUTHEAST  
MICHIGAN (5-12Z MONDAY) AS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS THROUGH.  
 
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...  
 
* MEDIUM FOR CIGS AOB 5000 FEET THROUGH THIS EVENING, LOW TONIGHT.  
 
* MEDIUM FOR WESTERLY CROSSWIND THRESHOLD BEING MET THIS AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 304 AM EST SUN JAN 11 2026  
 
DISCUSSION...  
 
CLOSED MID LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTERED OVER CENTRAL LAKE HURON  
EARLY THIS MORNING WILL WOBBLE NORTHEAST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  
THIS PROCESS WILL DRAW THE LOW-MID LEVEL TROUGH EXTENSION ACROSS  
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THROUGHOUT THE MORNING. BURST OF ACCUMULATING  
SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH A LEAD WING OF MEANINGFUL HEIGHT FALLS AND DCVA  
WILL FADE, AS ATTENTION SHIFTS TO EXPECTED IMPROVEMENT IN MOISTURE  
DEPTH AND LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES GOING FORWARD THIS MORNING AS  
CONVERGENCE CONSOLIDATES ALONG THE SOUTHWARD PROPAGATING WIND SHIFT  
AXIS. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSLATE INTO SOME INTERVALS OF SNOW  
SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE MID-LATE MORNING PERIOD, WITH POCKETS OF  
HIGHER INTENSITY RATES POSSIBLE GIVEN A WEAKLY UNSTABLE PROFILE.  
RESIDENCE TIME LIKELY CAPS ACCUMULATION POTENTIAL OVERALL. FORECAST  
WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT A GENERAL DUSTING TO HALF INCH OF  
ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION THIS MORNING.  
 
DRIER CONDITIONS EMERGE AS NORTHWEST FLOW INCREASES DEPTH AND  
MAGNITUDE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON, EFFECTIVELY REDUCING MOISTURE  
QUALITY AND ENDING SNOWFALL CHANCES. MOISTURE DEPTH MAY EVENTUALLY  
PROVE SHALLOW ENOUGH TO AFFORD SOME PEAKS OF SUN LATE IN THE DAY.  
RESIDENT THERMAL PROFILE REMAINS SEASONABLE FOR MID JANUARY, WITH  
HIGHS PEAKING IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S. PERIOD OF WARM AIR  
ADVECTION DEVELOPS TONIGHT AS LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNS SOUTHWESTERLY  
WITH PASSING SURFACE RIDGING. THIS OFFERS SIMPLY A LIMITED DROP IN  
NOCTURNAL TEMPERATURES. WEAK CLIPPER SYSTEM GLANCING ACROSS THE  
GREAT LAKES LATE TONIGHT/MONDAY MORNING LACKS IN BOTH AVAILABLE  
MOISTURE AND ASSOCIATED FORCING. PERHAPS A FEW FLURRIES OR BRIEF  
INCONSEQUENTIAL LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE THUMB DURING  
THIS TIME.  
 
STRETCH OF ABOVE AVERAGE WARMTH WILL MARK THE EARLY WEEK PERIOD  
UNDER SUSTAINED LOW LEVEL SOUTHWEST FLOW. TEMPERATURES PEAK THIS  
FORECAST PERIOD TUESDAY, AS READINGS PUSH INTO THE 40S MOST  
LOCATIONS. ANOTHER CLIPPER PROJECTED TO ARRIVE DURING THE DAYLIGHT  
PERIOD. BETTER MOISTURE QUALITY WITH THIS SYSTEM OVERALL, LEADING TO  
A GOOD CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE LASTING INTO THE EVENING PERIOD.  
 
PRONOUNCED PERIOD OF COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL ENCAPSULATE THE REGION  
MIDWEEK, AS A STRONGER LOBE OF VORTICITY OF ARCTIC ORIGIN BREAKS OFF  
THE PARENT HUDSON BAY LOW AND DIGS SOUTHWARD. INBOUND ARCTIC FRONT  
ANCHORING THE LEAD EDGE OF PRONOUNCED HEIGHT FALLS WILL ARRIVE  
WEDNESDAY. HIGH PROBABILITY OF SNOW ACROSS THE WED AND WED NIGHT  
PERIODS AS GOVERNING FORCING AND THE THERMAL ADVECTIVE PROCESS  
FACILITATE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. ARCTIC AIR THEN ENTRENCHED  
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS HIGH AMPLITUDE LONGWAVE TROUGHING  
ENGULFS MUCH OF THE CONUS. SINGLE DIGIT MINIMUM WIND CHILL CURRENTLY  
PROJECTED THU/FRI MORNINGS. ADDITIONAL MID LEVEL ENERGY WORKING  
THROUGH THE MEAN TROUGH MAY LEAVE CONDITIONS UNSETTLED FRIDAY INTO  
NEXT WEEKEND, DEPENDING ON SYSTEM TRAJECTORY, PACE AND MAGNITUDE. NBM  
HIGHLIGHTS BOTH THE PROSPECTS FOR MORE UNSETTLED CONDITIONS BUT WITH  
GENERAL UNCERTAINTY IN OFFERING A BROAD CHANCE MENTION FOR SNOW  
THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WILL DEFINITIVELY REMAIN BELOW  
AVERAGE INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
MARINE...  
 
A SURGE OF COLDER AIR HAS FILLED IN IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT AS  
LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES TO EXIT THROUGH QUEBEC. THE ADVECT OF COLDER  
AIR HAS ENHANCED OVER LAKE INSTABILITY WHERE FAVORABLE NORTHWEST  
FETCH BRINGS LIKELY GUST TO GALES ACROSS CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN LAKE  
HURON INTO THE EVENING. GALE WARNINGS REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE  
AFOREMENTIONED LOCATIONS. CONTINUED BACKING OF WINDS TO THE  
NORTHWEST WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE WAVE HEIGHTS WITHIN THE SAGINAW BAY  
AND ACROSS THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE, WHERE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES  
ARE IN PLACE. A BRIEF RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL FILL IN TONIGHT  
AND TOMORROW MORNING, ENDING GALE CHANCES. CONDITIONS REMAIN BREEZY  
THROUGH THEY DAY TOMORROW AS THE COLDER AIR HOLDS. A SECOND LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM ENTERS DURING THE MIDWEEK PERIOD, BRINGING RENEWED  
CHANCES FOR UNSETTLED WEATHER AND ELEVATED WINDS.  
 

 
   
DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MI...NONE.  
LAKE HURON...GALE WARNING UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR LHZ363-462>464.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST MONDAY FOR LHZ421-441.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR LHZ442-443.  
 
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.  
MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
AVIATION.....SF  
DISCUSSION...MR  
MARINE.......AM  
 
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AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT.  
 
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