Warm, Sunny Days; Detroit 2016 Memorial Day Weather Preview

DETROIT, MI – A perfect weekend is shaping up for hiking and biking, gardening or watching the Detroit Tigers take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park.

The pleasant weather is the beginning of a warming trend that will bring above average temperatures to Metro Detroit that could last through Memorial Day Weekend, AccuWeather says.

For this weekend, expect sunny skies both Saturday and Sunday, and comfortable afternoons in the lower 70s, says AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards.

The National Weather Service puts a slight damper on the weekend with its forecast that calls for a 40 percent chance of showers before the skies clear for a glorious Sunday.

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Daytime highs around 70 are typical for Metro Detroit at this time of the year, but temperatures will climb above average early next week, reaching the upper 70s on Monday and lower 80s on Tuesday, Edwards said.

According to AccuWeather’s extended forecast, temperatures should remain in the upper 70s and 80s through Saturday, May 28, with chances of thunderstorms mid-week, then cooler toward the weekend.

"The historically strong El Nino event is weakening rapidly and we should transition to La Nina conditions by summer and this favors another hot summer, especially across the northern U.S.," said Todd Crawford, The Weather Channel’s chief meteorologist.

In La Nina summers, the hottest month is typically July.

In previous years where the shift from El Nino to La Nina occurred rapidly, as it has this year, Great Lakes and northern Plains states endured the worst of the summer heat, Crawford noted.

Here’s what to expect over the next few days from the National Weather Service:

• Friday and Friday night: Increasing clouds, with a high near 71; calm wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy overnight, with a low around 54; east wind around 6 mph becoming north after midnight.
• Saturday and Saturday night: A 40 percent chance of showers after 8 a.m.; mostly cloudy, with a high near 71; calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52; light and variable wind.
• Sunday and Sunday night: Sunny, with a high near 71; north wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.
• Monday and Monday night: Sunny, with a high near 75. Monday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.