Sunny, Warmer, Summery...

Good Morning!


Aren't you glad this isn't Dallas?  Several thousands of dollars in damage was caused yesterday in that area by baseball sized hail, smashing car windows, house windows and skylights, and denting up cars.  Some of the pictures coming out of that area were just unbelievable!  I haven't heard of any injuries or anything like that thankfully, just a lot of property damage.


Closer to home, another day of nice weather is on tap for South Central Michigan as we continue to be influenced by Canadian high pressure throughout the area.  Things start to warm as the day wears on, with temperatures climbing into the upper 70's under sunny skies.  The evening clouds surprised me last night, though they didn't drop any rain, they were pretty to look at.  I honestly hadn't expected that much cloudiness.  Things will warm quite a bit in time for race weekend, with readings in the upper 80's likely.  Let's take a deeper dive and see what we have...


TEMPERATURES:  We'll see the temperatures top out in the upper 70's today around the area, An 80 or two would not surprise me at all.  Those readings will climb well into the 80's and a 90 is not unrealistic for this weekend.  After the spike on Saturday, temperatures will hold fairly steady in the mid to upper 80's for the next several days.  Enjoy this last day of somewhat air conditioned comfort outside, as warmer temperatures will return on southwesterly flow starting tomorrow.


RAIN:  We won't see much of that until Sunday, when we pick up the chance of a scattered shower or lonely thunderstorm.  Any one point will not have a huge chance to get wet, so my take is that things will continue mainly dry, and the races this weekend should be good to go as well.  We'll shore that up with another model run or two.  Here's a look at the expected rain for the next five days from the National Weather Service...

5 Day Precipitation Forecast

This map looks a bit wetter than previous ones, with us getting a quarter inch or so of rain the next five days.  Again, the best chance of that is Sunday.  Things are getting pretty dry around the area, so please be careful if you're out camping or grilling.  The National Weather Service in Northern Indiana has continued their Fire Risk Advisory Special Weather Statement for Branch and Hillsdale counties in the south zone.


SEVERE WEATHER:  Nothing here for the next three days, except a general risk of regular thunderstorms over the Upper Peninsula today, and the extreme western end gets into the "slight" risk for severe storms tomorrow.  A "slight" risk extend from the Canadian border of MN, all the way back through Tornado Alley into extreme north TX.  A small slight risk circle over the northern High Plains tomorrow, and a couple of 5% risk areas Saturday.

SPC Day 1 Forecast Map

SPC Day 2 Forecast Map

RaceCAST:  Things still looking pretty nice, as Michigan International Speedway and the small town of Brooklyn fill up with NASCAR fans.  One more mild day today, then things start to heat up for the weekend.  The Saturday race, will be the hotter of the two races, at least on the thermometer.  In reality, you probably won't feel much difference as the temperatures are only a couple of degrees apart for each day:


Saturday 6/16 - Nationwide Series Alliance Truck Parts 250 - Green Flag @ 4:01PM EDT:  Partly cloudy, high 88, heat index values 90-94, S winds 7-13 MPH.


Sunday 6/17 - Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400 - Green Flag @ 1:16PM EDT: Cloudy skies, chance of a scattered shower or solitary storm, high 83, heat index values 87-92.  SW winds 7-14 MPH.


Bright blue skies in Jackson right now, Grand Rapids NEXRAD radar is quiet, as you would expect, given the conditions.  Here's the visible satellite image:

GOES Visible Satellite Image

Here's the local forecast for Jackson and surrounding communities including Concord and Rives Junction:


Today, sunny and nice with some scattered clouds floating by, mild, high 78, winds ESE 7-14 MPH.

Tonight, mostly starry skies, a few more clouds pass through, lows near 52, winds ESE 5-10 MPH.

Friday, more abundant sunshine, warmer, high 85, winds turn southerly, 6-12 MPH.

Friday night, still mainly clear skies, a few more passing clouds, warmer, low 61, winds S 5-10 MPH.

Saturday, mainly sunny to start, a few clouds start mixing in later in the day, very warm with a high of 89, winds S 6-12 MPH.

Sunday, periods of clouds and sunshine, a scattered afternoon shower or thunderstorm can't be ruled out of the picture, high 87.

Monday, mainly cloudy skies, still the chance at a lone shower or thunderstorm, high 85.


Tuesday, a mix of clouds and sunshine, continued warm, high 85.


There's a look at your forecast for the next six days, I do hope that you have a great Thursday!  Blessings.