Warm and dry most of Thursday, then chance of thunderstorms at night

High temperatures today got up to 75 degrees in Alpena, 72 degrees in Cheboygan, Michigan and 76 degrees in Saginaw, Michigan. Notice the warmer temperatures out to the west, highs warmed to 89 degrees in Minneapolis. Winds out of the southwest will draw warmer temperatures to our area Thursday.

A combination of warmer temperatures, stronger breezes and dry conditions will lead to increased fire weather hazards. The combination of warmth, winds and dryness allows any outdoor fires to grow quickly. The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Thursday.

Skies are clear over all of Michigan, and it’ll stay that way overnight. Cloud cover will increase Thursday. Our next storm system will be a cold front, currently affecting parts of central Canada and Minnesota. It will move through Northeast Michigan on Friday. Out ahead of it, we’ll have a chance of showers and thunderstorms beginning Thursday night. A few on-and-off showers will be possible Friday morning to afternoon.

Thursday: A cool start to the morning, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms arrives at night. Predawn lows will drop to 46 degrees. Temperatures will rise to almost 70 degrees during the late-morning. Afternoon highs will warm to near 83 degrees. Evening temperatures will head into the 70s.

Friday: A chance of showers morning to midday, then drying out late-day. Early-morning lows will be around 63 degrees. Afternoon highs will get up to about 83 degrees. Evening temperatures will cool off to the 70s and 60s.

Saturday: Partly cloudy. Early-morning temperatures will head down to near 55 degrees. Afternoon highs will reach close to 75 degrees. Evening temperatures will be mainly in the 60s.