DETROIT (WWJ) - Metro Detroit recorded is second warmest December on record in 2023, but two weeks into the new year, winter is done slumbering as it prepares to blast the area with the coldest temperatures so far this season.
According to the National Weather Service, local residents will experience a near 55° plunge from the average 40.1° F temperature recorded in the Detroit area last month, making for the third warmest December on record.
But winter is on full blast for the start of January 2024 with the coldest and most prolonged cold weather in a couple of years currently pushing down into the Midwest.
WWJ AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean Devore warned: "I just don't think we're prepared for how cold this is going to be."
AccuWeather
A major winter storm that struck the Metro Detroit area and caused almost 190,000 outages in Michigan will exit on Saturday, but a second aspect of the intense weather system will move in by the evening hours with winds gusting 40 to 50 mph, visibility near zero near blizzard conditions and a rapid freeze up as temperatures plunge.
"For much of the country, this will end up being the coldest and most persistent outbreak of Arctic air in a couple of winters," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz said adding that you'd have to go back to February of 2022 to find an outbreak as cold and as long as the one looming this week.
The Detroit post of the National Weather Service warned Metro Detroit communities will get blasted with wind chill values close to zero before it gets progressively more frigid going into the work week.
"Subzero wind chills expected by the end of the weekend and will persist into next week," the NWS said in an update on Jan. 13. "The coldest air will arrive during and after the strong winds today. Potential power outages will make increase susceptibility to the cold."
According to AccuWeather, anyone who finds themselves outdoors during the storm would be at risk for hypothermia and frostbite as peak winds whip through.
The cold weather threat will continue to grip the state even after the storm moves out.
"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, highs only in the low to mid-teens and Real Feels a lot of those times near or below zero," DeVore warned.
AccuWeather
Wind chill values were already in the teens and single digits going into Saturday with Ann Arbor reporting a chilly 9°F at 6 a.m., Detroit at 12°F at the same time and Pontiac sitting at 10°F.
On Sunday, the NWS predicted Adrian would see -17°F wind chills by nightfall with -14°F predicted for the City of Monroe.
But the really cold air will come Wednesday, the NWS said, with all of Southeast Michigan at risk for wind chills in the negative teens.
The bitter cold isn't the only winter threat facing Michigan going into the workweek, AccuWeather said. As the frigid air passes over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, the moisture released is expected to trigger multiple rounds of intense lake-effect snow and far-wandering snow squalls that can result in "highly variable weather conditions ranging from a clear sky to a blizzard in the span of less than a mile."
Lake-effect snow accumulations of anywhere from 6 to 12 inches are possible for coastal communities in West Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Traverse City and Muskegon, while a portion of Lower Northern Michigan, including Charlevoix, Petoskey and Gaylord, and into the U.P. are in for a foot to 2 feet of snow.
accuWeather
Several cities in Metro Detroit have already set up warming centers for residents left without power from the winter storm and need electricity to charge phones or power medical devices, as well as warm up from the brutal cold.
Garden City said their police department lobby is open 24 hours for residents in need of a warming or charging center. Anyone at risk from cold weather and who may need assistance can call police in a non-emergency at 734-793-1700 or dial 911 in an emergency.
More information about warming centers can be found at www.GardenCityMI.org/warmingcenters.
According to their website, the City of Detroit has four warming centers open to "provide shelter from the cold weather, plus two meals, showers, sleeping accommodations, and housing assistance services to residents experiencing homelessness."
Those in need can head to: Cass Community Social Services, which serves women and families; Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, which has sections to serve families and women and another section for single men; and the Joseph Walker Williams Recreation Center, which serves men, women and families.
Residents in need are encouraged to call the City of Detroit's Housing Services Helpline at866-313-2520 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Veterans should call 866-313-2520 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Detroit also has locations that residents can warm-up during normal business hours with officials reminding residents that all Detroit Public Library branches are open to the public.
A full list of Detroit's respite locations can be found here.
