Metro Detroit is bracing for a moody week of weather, filled with summer-like heat and storms.
The National Weather Service predicts southeast Michigan facing severe moisture surges, flash flooding potential and heat index values soaring near 100 degrees by midweek.
Temperatures could rise about 10 degrees above the normal average high, which is around 78 degrees, according to Dave Kook, a meteorologist at the NWS Detroit/Pontiac office.
“There’s been an area of high pressure over the southwest U.S. for several days that’s getting lifted northeast through the Great Lakes, pulling that dome of heat into the region,” he said.
Monday starts tranquil and sunny, with the mercury climbing to the low 80s, but an evening severe thunderstorm is expected to take place before the region’s first official summer heat wave.
The weather service notes a light east wind will shift to the southeast Monday evening as clouds build. Overnight lows could remain muggy at around 68, signaling a highly unstable tropical air mass arriving.
NWS is also forecasting a moderate risk for excessive rainfall across the region on Tuesday.
Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to blanket the area Tuesday afternoon as the thermometer tops out in the 80s.
Heavy tropical downpours present a localized flash flooding risk, particularly for urban, flood-prone sections of Metro Detroit, NWS said.
Then, the region trades storm clouds for intense, oppressive early-summer heat.
Data from AccuWeather’s Detroit forecast indicates a major heat dome will settle over the lower Great Lakes region starting Wednesday.
However, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that spiking dew points in the low 70s could yield dangerous heat index values, or “real feels,” of 100 degrees.
“We could see some heat indices in the mid- to upper- 90s if the extreme heat pans out,” Kook said.
Thursday has been designated a high-risk day, as the heat could trigger another round of severe, scattered afternoon thunderstorms.
A strong cold front is projected to cut through Michigan late Friday. That should drop high temperatures back into the low 80s Saturday and Sunday while leaving fewer storm chances.
mjohnsondetroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Heat, storms headed for Metro Detroit this week
Reporting by Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
