A Weather Warning remains in effect for Southeast Michigan as the region faces two different threats in the same day: dangerous heat through the afternoon and a round of severe thunderstorms expected overnight.
Communities south of M-59 are under a Heat Advisory through this evening, with temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and lower 90s and heat index values approaching 100 degrees. For people spending time outdoors, the concern is not just discomfort. The air will feel heavy enough to raise the risk of heat-related illness, especially later in the day when the sun has had time to build on already warm ground.
A few isolated showers or thunderstorms could pop up between noon and 6 p.m. along a warm front draped across the region, but the more serious threat arrives tonight. The Storm Prediction Center keeps Southeast Michigan in a Slight to Enhanced Risk for severe weather from about 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., when a line of thunderstorms is expected to form ahead of an approaching cold front and move east across the state.
The hazard is not just rain. Damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph and embedded tornadoes are possible in the strongest storms, along with large hail and localized flooding. That overnight window matters because severe weather arriving after dark can catch people off guard, and the worst storms may come through while many residents are asleep.
There is still some uncertainty in the setup. The storm line could weaken before it reaches Southeast Michigan, or the strongest storms could track farther south. Either way, the region is close enough to the path of the system that residents should expect the forecast to be updated as the evening goes on.
Friday should bring a cleaner break. Cooler and much less humid air is expected to move in and stay through the weekend, with temperatures settling back into the 70s next week and a chance of a few early-week rain showers. For now, the immediate question is how strong the overnight line of storms will be when it reaches Southeast Michigan, and whether the worst of it stays just to the south or pushes through the region after midnight.
