959
FXUS63 KDTX 171703
AFDDTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
103 PM EDT TUE MAR 17 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES THROUGH THIS EVENING AS
ARCTIC COLD PERSISTS.
- CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW WEDNESDAY. LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION
EXPECTED.
- WARMING CONDITIONS DURING THE LATE WEEK PERIOD, WITH ADDITIONAL
CHANCES FOR LIGHT PRECIPITATION.
AVIATION
BREEZY NORTHWEST FLOW CONTINUES THROUGH THE EVENING, WITH PEAK GUSTS
OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS. THE BROADER FLOW PATTERN HAS DRAWN GREAT LAKES
MOISTURE INLAND TO PRODUCE NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE
AIRSPACE. MUCH OF THIS IS BEING DRIVEN BY THE DIURNAL CYCLE, SO
EXPECTING A FAIRLY ABRUPT DECREASE IN COVERAGE AFTER SUNSET (00Z)
THIS EVENING. WIDESPREAD VSBYS HAVE REMAINED ABOVE 3SM IN THESE SNOW
SHOWERS, BUT ISOLATED/BRIEF DROPS IN VSBY TO 1SM HAVE BEEN OBSERVED.
GIVEN THE INFREQUENCY OF IFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON-EVENING, WILL KEEP TEMPO RESTRICTIONS AT MVFR UNLESS
OBSERVATIONS TREND OTHERWISE. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE THEN MOVES
ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT, WITH WINDS BACKING FROM NORTHWEST TO
SOUTHERLY BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS DRAWS AN ELEVATED WARM FRONT
INTO THE REGION, GENERATING A BROAD REGION OF LIGHT SNOW WEDNESDAY
MORNING. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS UNDER A HALF INCH REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH
LOWERING CEILINGS THROUGH THE DAY.
FOR DTW...NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS ARE ONGOING AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH
ROUGHLY 00Z TONIGHT. VSBY REDUCTIONS WILL FOLLOW A SIMILAR TREND TO
WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS MORNING, MOSTLY MVFR TO OCCASIONAL
IFR REDUCTIONS. ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT MVFR TO BRIEFLY IFR SNOWFALL
WEDNESDAY MORNING.
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...
* HIGH IN CEILINGS AT OR BELOW 5000 FEET THIS AFTERNOON-EARLY EVENING AND
WEDNESDAY AFTER 12Z.
* HIGH IN PRECIP TYPE AS SNOW TODAY AND WEDNESDAY.
* LOW IN CROSSWIND EXCEEDENCE THIS AFTERNOON.
PREV DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 411 AM EDT TUE MAR 17 2026
DISCUSSION...
THE ARCTIC AIRMASS HAS SETTLED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. THE WINDS
REMAIN ELEVATED, BUT HAVE FINALLY COME DOWN COMPARED TO LAST EVENING
AS THE STRONGER LOWER LEVEL JET WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST
EAST THROUGH THE MORNING. THIS COMBO IS RESULTING IN A VERY CHILLY
START TO THE MORNING. WIND CHILLS DOWN TO AROUND 0 DEGREES FOR MOST
OF THE AREA WITH AREAS ACROSS THE THUMB REACHING TOWARDS -10F WIND
CHILLS AT TIMES. ANY RESIDUAL MOISTURE FROM SNOW SHOWERS LAST
EVENING QUICKLY FROZE ON UNTREATED SURFACES. DRIVERS SHOULD BE
CAUTIOUS OF VARIABLE DRIVING CONDITIONS DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE
WITH PATCHY SLICK SPOTS LIKELY STILL LINGERING ON ROADWAYS THIS
MORNING ON ANY UNTREATED SURFACES.
TROUGH AXIS WILL PROGRESS ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES TODAY.
SURFACE WINDS HOLDING OUT OF THE W-NW WITH DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE 20S
WILL KEEP THE LAKE EFFECT REGIME INTACT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. A
FEW FLURRIES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE MORNING IN THE WAKE OF THE
MORE ROBUST LAKE EFFECT STREAMERS FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING AND LAST
EVENING. MODELS HAVE WEAK SURFACE INSTABILITY WITH STEEP LOW LEVEL
LAPSE RATES THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SHOULD BRING A SLIGHT UPTICK IN
SCATTERED LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS. LIMITED ACCUMULATION POTENTIAL
EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WITH THIS ACTIVITY. A TENTH OR
TWO OF SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION AT MOST WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ISOLATED
SPOTS. SHORTWAVE RIDGE AND RISING HEIGHTS WILL PUT AN END TO LARGER
LAKE EFFECT RESPONSE BY THIS EVENING.
TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO MODERATE MIDDLE TO LATE WEEK AS WARMER
TEMPERATURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUTHWEST CONUS MID-UPPER RIDGE ARE
DRAWN INTO PARTS OF THE WESTERN/CENTRAL GREAT LAKES. A COUPLE OF
RELATIVELY WEAK SYSTEMS WILL RIDE THE NORTHWEST FLOW AROUND THIS
RIDGE OFFERING A COUPLE CHANCES AT LIGHT PRECIPITATION. WEDNESDAY
WILL SEE DAYTIME HIGHS REACH INTO THE 30S WITH THERMAL PROFILES COOL
ENOUGH FOR SNOW AS THE FIRST SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH BRINGING WEAK
ISENTROPIC ASCENT. ACCUMULATION POTENTIAL LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD STAY
UNDER AND INCH. TEMPERATURES WARM INTO THE 40S AND 50S FOR THURSDAY
AND FRIDAY WITH THE SECOND SYSTEM BRINGING LIGHT RAIN CHANCES FOR
THURSDAY GIVEN THE WARMER TEMPERATURES BRINING PREDOMINATELY RAIN
WITH A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME FOR SOME SNOW TO MIX IN ACROSS THE
NORTH. LOWER PREDICTABILITY INTO THE WEEKEND IN REGARDS TO RAINFALL
AND ASSOCIATED TEMPERATURES GIVEN THE MODEL VARIABILITY AT THIS
TIME.
MARINE...
THE NORTHWEST GALES EARLY THIS MORNING WILL COME TO AN END LATER
THIS MORNING AS THE THERMAL TROUGH AXIS CONTINUES TO EXIT EAST AND
THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS. THE BITTER COLD AIRMASS WILL BE
CONDUCIVE TO HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY INTO TUESDAY BEFORE WINDS DIMINISH
SUFFICIENTLY AND AIRMASS BEGINS TO MODIFY.
HIGH PRESSURE TO SLIDE THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY TOMORROW, WITH THE
PRONOUNCED SURFACE RIDGING EXTENDING NORTH BY EVENING. THIS IS
PROVIDE A LULL IN WINDS, UNDER 20 KNOTS. HOWEVER, MODERATE SOUTHWEST
WINDS TO RETURN ON WEDNESDAY AS RETURN FLOW AROUND THE HIGH KICKS
IN, AND LOW PRESSURE TRACKS THROUGH NORTHERN ONTARIO WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
LIGHT WINDS RETURN THURSDAY-FRIDAY AS A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WASHES
OUT ON THURSDAY. A WARM FRONT WILL THEN ARRIVE ON FRIDAY, BRINGING A
BETTER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION.
DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MI...NONE.
LAKE HURON...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING UNTIL 5 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR
LHZ361>363-421-441>443-462>464.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR LHZ421-
441>443.
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.
MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.
AVIATION.....MV
DISCUSSION...AA
MARINE.......SF
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