Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Detroit/Pontiac, MI

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FXUS63 KDTX 242025
AFDDTX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
325 PM EST TUE NOV 24 2009

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT

VERTICALLY STACKED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CURRENTLY SEEN ON WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY MOVING ACROSS THE MIDWEST WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS THE
REGION TONIGHT. VERY LITTLE LOW LEVEL WAA SEEN AHEAD OF THE
APPROACHING SYSTEM AS EVIDENCED BY THE WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT FORECAST
OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...RIDGE OF HIGH THETA-E WILL MOVE INTO THE
REGION TONIGHT AND THIS...COUPLED WITH STRONG CVA ALOFT AND THE
ASSOCIATED OCCLUDED FRONT...WILL LEAD TO A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN.
MODELS HAVE SHOWN A REMARKABLE AMOUNT OF CONSISTENCY WITH THIS
SCENARIO AND HAVE RAISED POPS ACCORDINGLY. ONLY ISSUE WILL BE
TIMING. NAM RH FIELDS AND BUFKIT SOUNDINGS SHOW THE BEST SATURATION
ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA WILL NOT OCCUR UNTIL AROUND 09Z SO LEFT
SLIGHTLY LOWER POPS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE THUMB. RAISED MIN TEMPS
SLIGHTLY ABOVE MOS GUIDANCE GIVEN THE ABUNDANCE OF LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE AND CLOUD COVER EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WITH VALUES GENERALLY IN
THE MID 40S.

&&

.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY

THE MID LEVEL WAVE NOW OVER THE MO/IA BORDER WILL QUICKLY LIFT NORTH
ACROSS THE STATE ON WEDNESDAY AS A DEEPENING UPPER WAVE DIVES FROM
SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA INTO THE MIDWEST. THIS SECONDARY WAVE IS ALSO
FORECAST TO DEVELOP INTO A CLOSED CIRCULATION BEFORE ROTATING ACROSS
THE NORTHERN OHIO VALLEY/SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES ON THANKSGIVING.
OVERALL...THE 12Z MODEL SUITE WERE WELL INITIALIZED WITH THESE
UPSTREAM WAVES AND ARE IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT INTO
THANKSGIVING BEFORE SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES ARISE.

LARGE SCALE ASCENT IS FORECAST TO QUICKLY LIFT INTO THE NORTHERN
LAKES REGION WED MORNING...WITH MID LEVEL MOISTURE BECOMING DEPLETED
OVER SOUTHERN MICHIGAN. NONETHELESS...RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
AND BOUNDARY LAYER CONVERGENCE SHOULD SUSTAIN SOME DRIZZLE AND/OR
LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS INTO THE EVENING. IN LIGHT OF THE COLD POOL ALOFT
PASSING THROUGH SE MI IN THE AFTERNOON...ANY LINGERING MID LEVEL
MOISTURE ALOFT MAY PRODUCE SOME HIGHER INTENSITY SHOWERS. MAX TEMPS
ON WED /APPROACHING 50/ SHOULD OCCUR DURING THE MORNING AS LOW LEVEL
COLD AIR ADVECTION FROM THE SOUTHWEST WILL LEAD TO SLOWLY FALLING
TEMPS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

STRONG MID LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACH OF THE
SECONDARY UPPER LOW WILL OVERSPREAD SE MI LATE WED NIGHT INTO THURS
MORNING. MODEL SOUNDINGS ALSO SHOW DEPTH OF MOISTURE INCREASING...
ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN A FAIRLY HIGH CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. MODEL
SOUNDINGS AND CRITICAL THICKNESSES SUGGEST ALL PRECIP WILL REMAIN IN
THE FORM OF RAIN THROUGH EARLY THURS MORNING. WITH THIS SYSTEM
ORIGINATING IN CANADA...IT WILL ADVECT MUCH COLDER AIR INTO THE
REGION IN COMPARISON TO THE WED SYSTEM. A TIGHT CIRCULATION IS
EXPECTED AROUND THIS UPPER LOW...WITH THE COLDEST AIR ACTUALLY
SLIDING INTO THE OHIO VALLEY THURS MORNING...THEN ADVECTING INTO
MICHIGAN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH DURING THE DAY. WHILE MODEL THERMAL
PROFILES CONTINUE TO SUPPORT A MIX OR POSSIBLE CHANGE OVER TO SNOW
DURING THE COURSE OF THE DAY THURS...THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT THAT
PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIMITED BY THE MID LEVEL DRY SLOT. AS THE
UPPER LOW SLIDES TO EAST OF THE REGION THURS EVENING THROUGH
FRIDAY MORNING...MID LEVEL DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
DEFORMATION REGION AND MUCH HIGHER MID LEVEL MOISTURE WILL ADVANCE
ACROSS SE MI. MODEL THICKNESS PARAMETERS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST A
POSSIBLE MIX...ALTHOUGH NOCTURNAL COOLING IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER
MAY BE MORE SUPPORTIVE OF SNOW. DESPITE THE LOW QPF ON MODEL
OUTPUT...THE POTENTIAL MID LEVEL DYNAMICS LOOK STRONG ENOUGH TO
GIVE PERHAPS THE FIRST MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF THE SEASON.

THE UPPER AIR PATTERN ACROSS NORTH AMERICA IS EXPECTED TO BE
PROGRESSIVE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...LEADING TO A SLIGHT MODERATION IN
TEMPERATURES. THE SPREAD AMONG THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS WITH RESPECT
TO THE UPPER PATTERN EARLY NEXT WEEK REMAINS VERY LARGE. POOR MODEL
CONTINUITY AND LARGE SPREAD AMONG ENSEMBLE MEMBERS LEAD TO A LOW
CONFIDENCE FORECAST SUNDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY. OVERALL...THE BULK
OF SOLUTIONS INDICATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SLIT FLOW REGIME BY EARLY
NEXT WEEK. THE STRONG SUB TROPICAL JET SUPPORTS THOSE SOLUTIONS WITH
A SLOWER AND STRONGER SOUTHERN STREAM WAVE. LATER MODEL TRENDS WILL
HAVE TO BE MONITORED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF THE SOUTHERN STREAM WAVE
TO PHASE WITH NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY...WHICH MAY LEAD TO AN EASTERN
US STORM SYSTEM BY THE END OF THE LONG TERM.

&&

.MARINE...

SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE AS HIGH PRESSURE EXITS TO THE EAST
COAST AND A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWLY APPROACHES FROM THE PLAINS.
WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 KNOTS ON THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE
HURON BY TOMORROW AS THIS AREA OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES. WAVES
SHOULD INCREASE TO 3 TO 5 FEET BUT WILL BE ABLE TO HOLD OFF ON ANY
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES UNTIL THE PASSAGE OF A STRONGER COLD FRONT ON
FRIDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES WITH THE
POSSIBILITY FOR A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS BY THURSDAY.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 1244 PM EST TUE NOV 24 2009

AVIATION...

LOW STRATUS AND BR WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO
THE AREA. CEILINGS WILL HOVER IN THE MVFR RANGE ACROSS THE NORTH
WHERE A FEW PEAKS OF SUN HAVE ALLOWED FOR BETTER MIXING. IFR/LOW
MVFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TAF
SITES WHERE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS GREATER. ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXPECTED TO CROSS THE AREA EARLY TOMORROW
MORNING BRINGING A CHANCE OF RAIN. CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN
THE IFR RANGE ACROSS ALL OF THE TAF SITES THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.

&&

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

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...AGD
LONG TERM....SC
MARINE.......AGD
AVIATION.....AGD


YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE
AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT (ALL LOWER CASE).






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  • Detroit/Pontiac, MI Weather Forecast Office
  • 9200 White Lake Road
  • White Lake, MI 48386
  • 248-620-9804
  • Page Author: DTX Webmaster
  • Web Master's E-mail: w-dtx.webmaster@noaa.gov
  • Page last modified: Nov 10th, 2009 17:45 UTC
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