652  
FXUS63 KDTX 240733  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
333 AM EDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- DRY CONDITIONS WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH  
SATURDAY.  
 
- HEAT AND HUMIDITY BUILD BACK INTO THE REGION SUNDAY-MONDAY WITH  
HIGHS AROUND 90 DEGREES AND HEAT INDICES IN THE LOW TO MID 90S.  
 
- ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY, WITH A  
MORE ORGANIZED STRONG TO SEVERE WEATHER THREAT LOOKING TO ARRIVE  
MONDAY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
LONGWAVE TROUGHING PATTERN HOLDS IN PLACE THIS MORNING OVER EASTERN  
CONUS, WITH AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE RACING ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS.  
HIGH BASED CIRRUS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WAVE AND CONVECTIVE CLOUD  
DEBRIS CLIP THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES, BUT OTHERWISE SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE SUCCESSFULLY KEEPS MOISTURE WELL TO OUR SOUTH TO SUPPORT  
PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND DRY WEATHER. THE COMPLEMENTARY THERMAL TROUGH  
KEEPS HIGHS A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN NORMAL TODAY--IN THE LOW 80S,  
WITH A COUPLE DEGREE BOOST INTO THE MID-80S SATURDAY.  
 
DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST SATURDAY, BUT WITH A PATTERN SHIFT ON ITS WAY  
AS WINDS ORGANIZE OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST DURING THE DAY. ALOFT, MID-  
LEVEL HEIGHTS RISE MODESTLY IN RESPONSE TO RIDGE AMPLIFICATION OVER  
WESTERN CONUS AND THE SOUTHERN PUSH OF A STRENGTHENING HUDSON BAY  
LOW. THIS DRAWS THE THETA-E GRADIENT EAST, FOLDING INSTABILITY INTO  
THE SAGINAW VALLEY AND THUMB REGION EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WHICH  
EXPANDS SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH THE DAY. MULTIPLE WAVES RIPPLE AROUND  
THE RIDGE SUNDAY, ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE DESTABILIZING AIRMASS AND  
GENERATE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TIMING OF THESE WAVES IS STILL  
UNCERTAIN, ALTHOUGH THE LATEST 00Z/06Z GUIDANCE FAVORS A ROUND OF  
MORNING CONVECTION AND A SECOND ROUND OF CONVECTION AROUND PEAK  
HEATING. OPTED FOR MORE BULLISH POPS ACROSS THE SAGINAW VALLEY/THUMB  
SUNDAY MORNING GIVEN THE STRONG SYNOPTIC SUPPORT AS THE LEFT EXIT  
REGION OF AN ~85 KNOT JET CLIPS ATOP THE BUILDING INSTABILITY.  
MUCAPE WILL STILL BE RAMPING UP THOUGH, SO ONLY ADVERTISING A SLIGHT  
CHANCE OF THUNDER WITH THIS ACTIVITY. LINGERING DRY AIR AND/OR  
SUBSIDENCE FROM PRIOR CONVECTION WILL THEN BE HURDLES TO OVERCOME  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, BOTH OF WHICH COULD STALL THE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF  
MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. THAT SAID, IF DEEP CONVECTION CAN DEVELOP  
IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, STORMS MAY BECOME ORGANIZED GIVEN THE STRONG  
SHEAR PROFILES (35-40 KNOTS 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR). THIS IS SUPPORTED BY  
THE LATEST SWODY3 MARGINAL RISK AND CSU MACHINE LEARNING  
PROBABILITIES.  
 
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES CONTINUE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK  
AS SE MICHIGAN REMAINS ON THE EDGE OF THE INSTABILITY GRADIENT UNDER  
AN ACTIVE NORTHWESTERLY JET AND WAVE TRAIN. BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR  
ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER COMES SOMETIME EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE LOW  
CURRENTLY OFF THE COAST OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST RELEASES EAST  
AROUND THE RIDGE AND INDUCES CYCLOGENESIS. MAJORITY OF DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS AND ENSEMBLE MEMBERS BRING THIS WAVE TO THE GREAT LAKES  
REGION MONDAY NIGHT, ALTHOUGH A SMALLER SUBSET DELAYS THAT UNTIL  
TUESDAY. THE STRONG SYNOPTIC SIGNAL IN THE GUIDANCE LEANS TOWARD  
ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL.  
 
OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORM CHANCES, THE UPSTREAM RIDGE SENDS HEAT AND  
HUMIDITY INTO SE MICHIGAN BEGINNING SUNDAY AND LASTING UNTIL THE  
SYNOPTIC COLD FRONT COMES THROUGH MID-WEEK. FORECAST HIGHS IN THE  
UPPER 80S-LOW 90S CARRY LOW CONFIDENCE GIVEN THE THUNDERSTORM  
POTENTIAL AND CLOUD DEBRIS. HEAT INDICES IN THE MID-90S WILL BE  
ATTAINABLE IF A DRIER OUTCOME MATERIALIZES.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
WINDS WILL BE LIGHT SOUTHERLY TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE RESIDING OVER  
THE MID ATLANTIC STATES STILLS EXERTS IT INFLUENCE. A SURFACE TROUGH  
SLOWLY PASSING THROUGH DURING THE WEEKEND WILL BRING A CHANCE OF  
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS, THOUGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO  
REMAIN LIGHT.  
 
THE NEXT NOTABLE STORM SYSTEM ARRIVES ON MONDAY, AS LOW PRESSURE  
TRACKS ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE  
POSSIBLE AS THE COLD FRONT WORKS THROUGH THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES  
DURING THE EVENING HOURS. NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND THIS SYSTEM LATE  
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH 25 KNOTS OVER  
SOUTHERN LAKE HURON.  
 

 
   
HYDROLOGY
 
 
SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK. AN INCREASINGLY HUMID AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL  
LEAD TO RAINFALL RATES OVER AN INCH PER HOUR IN SOME THUNDERSTORMS.  
RECENT DRY WEATHER AND LOW SOIL SATURATION WILL HELP MITIGATE  
WIDESPREAD FLOODING CONCERNS, ALTHOUGH LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING OF  
LOW-LYING, URBAN, AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS REMAINS POSSIBLE IF  
THUNDERSTORMS REPEATEDLY IMPACT THE SAME LOCATIONS.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 1157 PM EDT THU JUL 23 2026  
 
AVIATION...  
 
VFR UNDER STREAMERS OF CIRRUS WITH LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND ARE  
PROVIDED FOR SE MI BY AN EXPANSE OF HIGH PRESSURE COVERING THE  
SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES. THESE CONDITIONS LAST THROUGH THE MORNING  
FOLLOWED BY SCATTERED FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS AND MORE OF AN BROKEN  
OPAQUE CIRRUS IN THE AFTERNOON. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND BECOMES MORE  
CONSISTENTLY SE INTO FRIDAY EVENING.  
 
D21/DTW CONVECTION...NO THUNDERSTORMS FORECAST.  
 
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...  
 
* NONE.  
 

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

 
 

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