Metro Detroit stayed dry and cool through the day Friday, but the stretch of calm was expected to end late tonight as rain moves in and becomes steadier by Saturday morning. The first round of wet weather could make the early holiday weekend commute messier, with ponding on roads and reduced visibility possible before the rain breaks into scattered thunderstorms Saturday afternoon and again late Sunday.
Rain was expected to arrive late overnight, with some heavier rainfall possible Saturday morning and localized totals of 1 inch or more from Monroe to Port Huron. Wind could still be a factor as well, with gusts near 25 mph possible at times, but temperatures should climb into the 70s over the weekend after a cool start in the 60s. Memorial Day was forecast to be the best day of the stretch, bringing partly sunny skies and temperatures nearing 80 degrees, before highs return to the 80s on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The shift comes after a brief chilly and breezy period that had kept the region unsettled. The weather pattern is expected to turn warmer and more humid through the weekend, which is part of why the rain threat lingers from Friday evening into Saturday morning and then pops back up in spots Saturday afternoon and late Sunday. A supplemental forecast said today and Monday would look dry, that the most likely rain would fall late tonight through Saturday morning, and that Memorial Day would be the nicest of the four days.
That sets up a busy and uneven holiday weekend for anyone trying to get on the road early, especially before conditions improve by Monday and then turn warmer again next week. The bigger question is not whether rain arrives — it will — but how much falls in the lanes between Monroe and Port Huron, where enough water could briefly slow traffic and make travel more difficult before the holiday ends on a much calmer note.
