263  
FXUS63 KDTX 040709  
AFDDTX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI  
309 AM EDT SUN OCT 4 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- NARROW BAND OF LIGHT SHOWERS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING MAINLY NORTH OF  
I-69.  
 
- SEASONABLE HIGHS TODAY NEAR 70 DEGREES.  
 
- BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARRIVE MONDAY WITH HIGHS ONLY NEAR 60  
AND LOWS FALLING INTO THE 30S. CHANCE FOR FROST IS POSSIBLE MONDAY  
NIGHT PARTICULARLY OVER THE SAGINAW VALLEY/THUMB.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
DEEP POTENTIAL VORTICITY TROUGHING WITH PHASED UPPER LEVEL JET  
DYNAMICS WILL PUSH ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN EARLY TODAY. FORECASTED  
HEIGHT FIELDS SUPPORT NEGATIVE TILTING OF THE AXIS AS IT ARRIVES BUT  
WITH THE STRONGEST 1000-500MB HEIGHT FALLS PASSING TO THE NORTH AND  
EAST OF THE UPPER PENINSULA. A LATE TIMING OF THE DEEPENING,  
RELATIVE TO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN, RESULTS IN AN EXTREMELY NARROW  
RIBBON OF MOISTURE WITH SHALLOW MIDLEVEL SATURATION. FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS SUPPORT VERY DRY AIR IN THE LOWEST 10.0 KFT AGL. MODESTLY  
BETTER LAPSE RATES ABOVE 12.0 KFT AGL RESIDES OVER THE NORTHERN CWA  
BETWEEN 9-13Z. THE BETTER POTENTIAL TO MEASURE IS NORTH OF THE I 69  
CORRIDOR WITH MUCH OF THE AREA AT LESS THAN 40% TO EXCEED A 6 HOURLY  
RATE OF 0.05 INCHES OF LIQUID. FORECASTED POPS MAY BE A LITTLE LOW  
FOR THE TRI CITIES AND THUMB BUT GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF DRY AIR IN THE  
LOW LEVELS WILL MAINTAIN THE INHERITED. GRADIENT FLOW WITH MIXING  
WILL RESULT IN A BUMP FOR SURFACE WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. WEST TO  
NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON OF 15 TO 25 MPH. HIGHS TODAY WILL BE IN THE  
UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S, THE TRUE COLD FRONT NOT PUSHING THROUGH THE  
AREA UNTIL THIS EVENING.  
 
SHARP GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT RISES OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL  
SUPPORT SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. MUCH COOLER  
WEATHER IS EXPECTED MONDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO AROUND 60  
DESPITE FULL SUNSHINE. HEART OF THE ANTICYCLONE WILL BE OVERHEAD  
MONDAY NIGHT WITH DEWPOINTS FORECASTED TO DROP INTO THE MIDDLE 30S.  
WITH A CALM WIND ENVIRONMENT THE LIKELIHOOD IS HIGH THAT A FROST  
ADVISORY WILL BE NEEDED TUESDAY MORNING FOR AT LEAST A PORTION OF  
THE FORECAST AREA.  
 
THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL JET PACKET WITH A CYCLONICALLY CURVED EXIT  
REGION WILL PUSH INTO THE GREAT LAKES LATE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.  
WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE SOUTHWARD EXTENT TO THE ABSOLUTE VORTICITY  
ADVECTION AS IT RELATES TO THE POP FORECAST. THE CURRENT FORECAST FOR  
THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION IS LOW FOR THE MIDWEEK PERIOD. THE  
FORECAST AREA LOOKS TO BE PERILOUSLY CLOSE TO TROUGHING WHICH OFFERS  
UNCERTAINTY FOR POPS HEADING INTO NEXT WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
BE AROUND NORMAL NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GREAT LAKES REGION WILL  
GRADUALLY MOVE OVER THE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND AS  
LOW PRESSURE TRACKS EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN ONTARIO, REMAINING NORTH OF  
LAKE SUPERIOR. WHILE THIS LOW IS PROGGED TO REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE  
AREA, IT IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES EAST TOWARDS THE JAMES  
BAY AREA. THIS WILL RESULT IN A LARGE-SCALE UPTICK IN WINDS OVER THE  
REGION AND A WINDOW FOR LOW-END GALES OVER NORTHERN LAKE HURON  
SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING AS COLD AIR ADVECTION USHERS IN A  
HIGHER POTENTIAL FOR DESTABILIZING THE BOUNDARY LAYER OVER THE OPEN  
WATERS AND MIXING DOWN STRONGER WINDS.  
 
FURTHER SOUTH ON LAKE ST. CLAIR AND THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE  
ERIE, SIMILAR SOUTH WINDS TO START THE DAY WILL BECOME WEST AND  
EVENTUALLY NORTHWESTERLY BY THE END OF THE DAY. WINDS WILL ALSO  
INCREASE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY; HOWEVER, THEY WILL NOT BE AS  
STRONG THAT FAR SOUTH AND CURRENTLY LOOK TO REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT  
ADVISORY LEVELS. WINDS GRADUALLY WEAKEN LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS  
A TRANSIENT AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY MOVES THROUGH THE REGION.  
WE THEN SEE ANOTHER SYSTEM TRACK NORTH OF THE AREA, BUT WILL BRING  
ANOTHER UPTICK IN WINDS FOR MID-WEEK.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 1112 PM EDT SAT OCT 3 2026  
 
AVIATION...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WITH  
MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES TO THE SOUTH AND LIGHT SOUTH WINDS TO START THE  
TAF PERIOD AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE NEW ENGLAND  
REGION. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL QUICKLY FOLLOW MOVING ACROSS THE  
UPPER MIDWEST AT THIS TIME WITH NOTABLE INCREASE IN MID TO HIGH  
CLOUD AND RAINFALL MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. SOME OF  
THIS RAINFALL ALONG THE TAIL END MAY REACH MBS AND FNT BETWEEN 09Z  
TO 11Z SUNDAY MORNING. EXPECTING ONLY LIGHT RAIN IF IT DOES OCCUR  
AND CEILINGS SHOULD REMAIN VFR. MOSTLY DRY COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE  
THROUGH SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN SUNDAY RESULTING IN A WEST WIND SHIFT AND  
SUPPORT LOWER CEILINGS TO AROUND 5KFT DURING THE DAY.  
 
D21/DTW CONVECTION... THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT FORECAST THIS PERIOD.  
 
DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES...  
 
* LOW FOR CEILING 5000 FT OR LESS SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MI...NONE.  
LAKE HURON...GALE WATCH FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR LHZ361-362.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 AM EDT MONDAY FOR  
LHZ421.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 2 PM EDT MONDAY FOR  
LHZ441.  
 
LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE.  
MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...CB  
MARINE.......CB  
AVIATION.....AA  
 
YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE  
AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT.  
 
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