Metro Detroit could see some snowflakes this week, the National Weather Service says

On By Littum

For those in Metro Detroit who enjoy listening to carols before Thanksgiving, the weather briefly matched their soundtrack this week.

The regional forecast this week calls for the possibility of snow on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

For those fearing a wintry return, relax.

“It most likely won’t be measurable,” said Trent Frey, a meteorologist with the agency’s White Lake Township office. “The most likely scenario is that it will be just cool enough Thursday morning that we could see some wet snowflakes mixed in with rain at times. It looks like surface temperatures will remain high enough that there won’t be any concern for accumulation.”

He said a strong low-pressure system developing in the Great Lakes area late this week is behind the weather service’s forecast. “It’s going to pull a lot of cold air into the area.”

Frey added that the cold air is expected to arrive Wednesday night and Thursday.

“There are still some questions about where the system will be set up and how powerful it will be,” he said.

Its strength, Fray said, will determine whether the area can see snow or whether the precipitation will fall as rain.

Meanwhile, after sunshine appears Monday, showers are expected to follow Tuesday and Wednesday, according to NWS meteorologists.

They also predict that temperatures will rise from a high of 56 degrees on Monday to 59 degrees on Tuesday and then drop for the rest of the week.

“Today, tomorrow and Wednesday it looks like we’ll get highs in the 50s, and then Thursday and into the weekend it looks like highs in the 40s,” Frey said.

The average monthly high temperature in November is 48.6 and the low is 33.9 degrees, according to weather service data.

Frey said the region usually sees its first measurable snowfall of the year around Nov. 19. Last year, the area saw its first measurable snowfall around Halloween, he added.

Meanwhile, Metro Detroit is on pace to set a record for the latest first freeze of the season, according to the weather service. The agency defines the first freeze as the first date in a year to record a minimum temperature of 32 degrees or below.

The earliest date for the first freeze was September 22, 1974. The most recent first freeze of the year was November 15, 1946, according to NWS data. The first freeze has typically arrived on average for the past 30 years around Oct. 25, it said.

Extended Metro Detroit weather forecast

Tuesday: Rain; high 59, low 46.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, then rain; high 54, low 34.

Thursday: Rain; high 42, low 35.

Friday: Probably rain; high 46, low 38.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy; high 46, low 35.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy; high 45.

Source: National Weather Service

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@CharlesERamirez