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Temps headed up in Metro Detroit
Today won't be warm, but temperatures are certainly headed that way. Alan Longstreet has what to expect for the rest of the week.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - OK, so a lot of chatter about the possibility of an ice/snow day this Friday. Of course, parents are very interested, especially since it is the last day of school before winter break starts for many districts!
In short, I don’t think we are going to have an ice day. I think school will take place and here’s why.
It's not going to be cold enough and any freezing of rain or melting snow is unlikely to be enough to close schools.
Temperatures close to 50
Timeline:
Rain is likely to begin around noon on Thursday and continue until roughly midnight. During the evening hours, especially between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., there could be some periods of heavy rain.
In addition to the rain, temperatures will be significantly above freezing, in fact close to 50 degrees!
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Snow on the ground will continue to melt, even as it’s raining. After midnight, a short window of transitionary precipitation is possible with some snowflakes, falling as cold air surges in.
This snow is expected to be minimal for southeast Michigan, and considering that temperatures will be so high I don’t even think it will stick to the ground.
Will the rain ice over?
Dig deeper:
The question becomes how much ice are we expecting to see? A weather phenomenon called flash freezing is indeed a possibility, where water will quickly freeze as temperatures drop. We fall below freezing between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. on Friday and will stay below freezing for the entire day.
However! The question is going to be how much ice is present. Unlike freezing rain events, where it rains and immediately freezes to the ground in a glaze of ice… I don’t think we will have a situation like that.
Instead, it’s just whatever standing water is present has the opportunity to freeze. Typically roadways do not have large areas of standing water as drainage systems move that water off the road.
So, while it will rain, and while that rain might be heavy at times followed by freezing temperatures. I don’t believe we’ll be looking at an ice rink-style situation on the roads.
I’m leaning towards school happening. Which, considering that most classes have their holiday parties on Friday, I think the kids might be excited for school anyway!