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Detroit metropolitan area expects a slightly warmer September than average

Detroit metropolitan area expects a slightly warmer September than average

According to the National Weather Service, the Detroit metropolitan area will likely be slightly warmer than average in September.

Normal temperatures for this time of year range from highs of 25 degrees to lows of 10 degrees, said Alex Manion, meteorologist with the NWS. The NWS is forecasting temperatures of 27 degrees for the coming week.

In the Detroit metropolitan area, temperatures could reach 81 degrees on Tuesday, 87 degrees on Wednesday and 88 degrees on Thursday, NWS Detroit announced on X.

The week will remain mostly sunny through Friday, after which some clouds will move in as the mercury reaches 30 degrees, NWS reported. Lows will be between 10 and 12 degrees, reaching a high of 18 degrees.

These higher temperatures are likely to be here to stay because of a weather phenomenon called a blocking pattern, Manion said. When a blocking pattern is in effect, the large-scale weather pattern currently forming does not go away, he added.

In this case, Metro Detroit has a warm air mass over the Great Lakes area, keeping temperatures slightly above normal, he said. Because temperatures are only slightly off forecast seasonal averages, the warmer-than-usual weather “is not a heat wave by definition,” Manion said.

According to the NWS Climate Prediction Center, temperatures in the Detroit metropolitan area could remain slightly above average at least through the middle of the month.

The region has a higher than normal chance of temperatures staying above 77 degrees through at least Sept. 23 because of blockages, Manion said. A tropical system moving into the Gulf of Mexico is contributing to that. That system will linger in the Ohio Valley and leave a high pressure system over Michigan.

The Climate Prediction Center is also forecasting a 30-40 percent chance of below-average precipitation for the month, Manion said. Residents of the Detroit metropolitan area will definitely see less rain than they did in August, especially this week, when the chance of precipitation is slim until at least Sunday or Monday, he said.

A warmer September doesn't bode well for nature lovers hoping to see Michigan's fall colors in full splendor, experts say. The warmer temperatures and less precipitation could cause the leaves to fall earlier and less spectacularly.

According to the NWS, September 2023 was also slightly warmer and drier in Metro Detroit.

Meanwhile, Michigan residents have a chance to see the Northern Lights Tuesday night as space weather forecasters have issued a Level G2 geomagnetic storm warning for the evening.

To experience the full effect, residents should stay away from city lights and moonlight, recommends the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.

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